Reserve Bank Bulletin articles and Discussion Papers

Title: The use of money and credit measures in contemporary monetary policy
Author: Bloor, Chris; Hunt, Chris;Ng, Tim; Pepper, Hamish
Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, Volume 71 No. 1, March 2008 pp 5-15
Date: March 2008

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Abstract:
The changing interaction between economic and financial developments around the world is prompting lively debate in the academic and central banking community about the use of money and credit measures in contemporary monetary policy formulation. Currently, money and credit measures generally have a fairly low, but arguably increasing, profile in the panoply of models and economic indicators used in central banks? assessments of the economic outlook. Some prominent academics and central banks advocate increased emphasis on money and credit measures. In this view, credit developments in particular can materially enrich our understanding of the economic outlook when financial asset markets and the price of credit risk are moving substantially. At the same time, there are prominent sceptics on the specific value of money in understanding and predicting inflation. In New Zealand monetary policy formulation, we tend to focus on disaggregated credit measures, and mostly to provide corroborating information about particular developments in the various sectors of the economy. Increasing international financial integration and a greater emphasis on the interaction between financial stability assessment and monetary policy may see increased use and profile of credit measures in the future.