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The Optimal Rate of Inflation with Trending Relative Prices

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  • ALEXANDER L. WOLMAN

Abstract

Relative price trends mean that monetary policy cannot stabilize the nominal prices of all consumption categories. If prices are sticky, monetary policy must then trade off distortions within different categories; more weight should be placed on stabilizing prices for which adjustment entails greater distortions. With exogenous price stickiness, a simple model calibrated to U.S. data implies that slight deflation is optimal even absent money‐demand considerations. If price stickiness is endogenous (because of fixed costs of adjustment), small inflation or small deflation can be optimal, depending on whether demand conditions or price adjustment costs vary across sectors.

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  • Alexander L. Wolman, 2011. "The Optimal Rate of Inflation with Trending Relative Prices," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(2‐3), pages 355-384, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jmoncb:v:43:y:2011:i:2-3:p:355-384
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1538-4616.2010.00377.x
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    Cited by:

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    3. Rocha Lima, Elcyon Caiado & Martinez, Thiago Sevilhano & Cerqueira, Vinícius Santos, 2018. "Monetary Policy and Exchange Rate: Effects on Disaggregated Prices in a FAVAR Model for Brazil," Brazilian Review of Econometrics, Sociedade Brasileira de Econometria - SBE, vol. 38(1), May.
    4. Matteo G. Richiardi & Luis Valenzuela, 2024. "Firm heterogeneity and the aggregate labour share," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 38(1), pages 66-101, March.
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    6. Bilbiie, Florin O. & Fujiwara, Ippei & Ghironi, Fabio, 2014. "Optimal monetary policy with endogenous entry and product variety," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-20.
    7. Mineyama, Tomohide, 2022. "Revisiting the optimal inflation rate with downward nominal wage rigidity: The role of heterogeneity," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    8. Schmitt-Grohé, Stephanie & Uribe, Martín, 2012. "On quality bias and inflation targets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 393-400.
    9. Claudio Borio, 2021. "Back to the Future: Intellectual Challenges for Monetary Policy," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 40(4), pages 273-287, December.
    10. Alexander L. Wolman, 2015. "Relative Price Changes and the Optimal Inflation Rate," Economic Quarterly, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, issue 3Q, pages 245-274.
    11. Robert Amano & Kevin Moran & Stephen Murchison & Andrew Rennison, 2007. "Trend Inflation, Wage and Price Rigidities, and Welfare," Staff Working Papers 07-42, Bank of Canada.
    12. Ikeda, Daisuke, 2015. "Optimal inflation rates with the trending relative price of investment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 20-33.
    13. Gerberding, Christina & Gerke, Rafael & Hammermann, Felix, 2010. "Price-level targeting when there is price-level drift," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2010,23, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    14. Joshua Brault & Hashmat Khan & Louis Phaneuf & Jean Gardy Victor, 2021. "US Postwar Macroeconomic Fluctuations Without Indeterminacy," Carleton Economic Papers 21-01, Carleton University, Department of Economics, revised 25 May 2021.
    15. Kamber, Güneş & Wong, Benjamin, 2020. "Global factors and trend inflation," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    16. Takahashi, Shuhei, 2021. "The uniqueness of steady-state equilibrium under state-dependent pricing: The case of deflation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    17. Claudio Borio & Piti Disyatat & Dora Xia & Egon Zakrajšek, 2021. "Monetary policy, relative prices and inflation control: flexibility born out of success," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, September.
    18. Shu‐Hua Chen, 2018. "The Credit‐Channel Transmission Mechanism And The Nonlinear Growth And Welfare Effects Of Inflation And Taxes," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(2), pages 724-744, April.
    19. Weber, Henning, 2012. "The optimal inflation rate and firm-level productivity growth," Kiel Working Papers 1773, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    20. Weber, Henning, 2015. "Innovation and the Optimal Rate of Inflation," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113087, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    21. Gerberding, Christina & Gerke, Rafael & Hammermann, Felix, 2012. "Price-level targeting when there is price-level drift," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 757-768.
    22. Weber, Henning, 2012. "One for all: The ECB's inflation target," Kiel Policy Brief 54, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).

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