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Menu Costs, Aggregate Fluctuations, and Large Shocks

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  • Reiff, Adam
  • Karadi, Peter

Abstract

How do frictions in price setting influence monetary non-neutrality? We revisit this classic question in a quantitative menu cost model with multi-product firms that face idiosyncratic shocks with unsynchronized stochastic volatility. The model matches the unconditional distribution of price changes and successfully predicts new evidence on pricing responses to large value-added tax shocks. In particular, it captures both the exploding fraction of price changes and the shape of their conditional distribution, outperforming alternative models. The model generates near money neutrality even to small nominal shocks.

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  • Reiff, Adam & Karadi, Peter, 2014. "Menu Costs, Aggregate Fluctuations, and Large Shocks," CEPR Discussion Papers 10138, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:10138
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monetary policy transmission; Price change distribution; State-dependent pricing; Value-added tax;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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