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Monetary and fiscal complementarity in the Covid-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Chadha, Jagjit S.
  • Corrado, Luisa
  • Meaning, Jack
  • Schuler, Tobias

Abstract

In response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, there has been a complementary approach to monetary and fiscal policy in the United States with the Federal Reserve System purchasing extraordinary quantities of securities and the government running a deficit of some 17% of projected GDP. The Federal Reserve pushed the discount rate close to zero and stabilised financial markets with emergency liquidity provided through a new open-ended long-term asset purchase programme. To capture the interventions, we develop a model in which the central bank uses reserves to buy much of the huge issuance of government bonds and this offsets the impact of shutdowns and lockdowns in the real economy. We show that these actions reduced lending costs and amplified the impact of supportive fiscal policies. We then run a counterfactual analysis which suggests that if the Federal Reserve had not intervened to such a degree, the economy may have experienced a significantly deeper contraction as a result from the Covid-19 pandemic. JEL Classification: E31, E40, E51

Suggested Citation

  • Chadha, Jagjit S. & Corrado, Luisa & Meaning, Jack & Schuler, Tobias, 2021. "Monetary and fiscal complementarity in the Covid-19 pandemic," Working Paper Series 2588, European Central Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20212588
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Elena-Aura GRIGORESCU & Dimitrie-Daniel PLACINTA & Florin-Valeriu PANTELIMON & Bogdan-Stefan POSEDARU & Andrei BOBOCEA & Corina-Marina MIREA, 2022. "A Brief Inquiry into the Evolution of Inflation during the Fall of Communism, Global Financial Crisis (2008-2009) and COVID-19 Pandemic," Informatica Economica, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 26(3), pages 26-36.
    3. Wang, Qi & Weng, Chen, 2024. "Two-way risk: Trade policy uncertainty and inflation in the United States and China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    4. Margarit, Monica-Ionelia, 2022. "CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE MOST IMPORTANT CRISIS OF THE 21st CENTURY," Management Strategies Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 55(1), pages 109-116.
    5. Antonakakis, Nikolaos & Cunado, Juncal & Filis, George & Gabauer, David & de Gracia, Fernando Perez, 2023. "Dynamic connectedness among the implied volatilities of oil prices and financial assets: New evidence of the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 114-123.
    6. jagjit Chadha & William Allen & Philip Turner, 2021. "Quantitative Tightening: Protecting Monetary Policy from Fiscal Encroachment," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Policy Papers 27, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    7. Vasiliki Dimakopoulou & George Economides & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2021. "The ECB's Policy, the Recovery Fund and the Importance of Trust: The Case of Greece," CESifo Working Paper Series 9371, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Covid-19; monetary-fiscal interaction; non-conventional monetary policy; quantitative easing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E40 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - General
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers

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