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Forward guidance with an escape clause: When half a promise is better than a full one

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  • Maria Lucia Florez-Jimenez
  • Julian A. Parra-Polania

Abstract

Using a three-equation New Keynesian model we find that incorporating an escape clause (EC) into Forward Guidance (FG) is welfare improving as it allows the monetary authority to avoid cases in which the cost of reduced flexibility is too high. The EC provides the central bank with another instrument (additional to the promised policy rate), the announced threshold. The greater the size of the recessionary shock the lower the optimal promised rate and the higher the optimal threshold (i.e. the higher the probability of delivering the promised rate). While FG with an EC is better than discretion for facing any zero-lower bound (ZLB) situation, unconditional FG performs better than discretion only in the most extreme 16% of ZLB events. Furthermore, even for very large recessionary shocks it is not optimal to make unconditional promises.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Lucia Florez-Jimenez & Julian A. Parra-Polania, 2014. "Forward guidance with an escape clause: When half a promise is better than a full one," Borradores de Economia 811, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdr:borrec:811
    DOI: 10.32468/be.811
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    Cited by:

    1. Gersbach, Hans & Liu, Yulin & Tischhauser, Martin, 2021. "Versatile forward guidance: escaping or switching?," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    2. Arango, Luis E. & Pantoja, Javier & Velásquez, Carlos, 2023. "A content analysis of the Central Bank's press releases in Colombia," Latin American Journal of Central Banking (previously Monetaria), Elsevier, vol. 4(3).
    3. Boneva, Lena & Harrison, Richard & Waldron, Matt, 2015. "Threshold-based forward guidance: hedging the zero bound," Bank of England working papers 561, Bank of England.
    4. Fernando M. Duarte, 2016. "How to escape a liquidity trap with interest rate rules," Staff Reports 776, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    5. Richhild Moessner & David-Jan Jansen & Jakob de Haan, 2017. "Communication About Future Policy Rates In Theory And Practice: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 678-711, July.
    6. Parra-Polania Julian A., 2019. "State-Dependent Forward Guidance and the Problem of Inconsistent Announcements," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 20(4), pages 1019-1027, December.
    7. Boneva, Lena & Harrison, Richard & Waldron, Matt, 2018. "Threshold-based forward guidance," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 138-155.
    8. Richhild Moessner & David-Jan Jansen & Jakob de Haan, 2017. "Communication About Future Policy Rates In Theory And Practice: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 678-711, July.
    9. Luis E. Arango & Javier Pantoja & Carlos Velásquez, 2017. "Effects of the central bank’s communications in Colombia. A content analysis," Borradores de Economia 1024, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    10. van Holle, Frederiek, 2017. "Essays in empirical finance and monetary policy," Other publications TiSEM 30d11a4b-7bc9-4c81-ad24-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Forward guidance; escape clause; zero lower bound; central bank communication;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E47 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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