Macroeconomics
Israel’s Flug: action needed on productivity
Bank of Israel governor warns Israel remains a laggard when it comes to growing output per person
Trade costs limit effects of internal devaluations – ECB paper
Researcher says trade costs explain Greek failure to boost exports
Long-run rates have been lower – Chicago Fed economists
Economists note the long run downward trend among G7 countries has reversed in the past, suggesting it could do so again
PBoC’s Zhou: 6.5% growth target is ‘within reach’
Governor says he believes China’s growth target is attainable, as he urges countries to remain open to trade and investment
Thinking on global capital flows is muddled – BIS’s Shin
BIS head of research says policies to guard against excess global liquidity should look at underlying causes, not symptoms such as capital flows; Fed’s Fischer acknowledges policy spillovers
Fed paper seeks better forecasts from information inefficiencies
Paper finds it is difficult to build a better forecast on the basis of deviations from rationality in surveys, implying such inefficiencies are not “economically meaningful”
IMF remains gloomy on Brexit as UK heads for snap election
Maurice Obstfeld admits IMF was overly pessimistic on consumer response to Brexit, but says supply shock could still bite; global outlook more positive
Paper examines how sticky investment prices affect DGSE model
Findings bring the model in line with growth accounting exercises, the researcher says
BoJ paper sketches ‘vicious circle’ behind productivity traps
“Lacklustre” economic reforms and firms’ unwillingness to innovate may create a “negatively reinforcing” loop, the authors warn
Technology driving inequality in advanced economies – IMF
Technology plays “dominant role” in explaining falling labour share of income in advanced economies, study finds; globalisation more important for emerging markets
RBNZ paper develops ‘intuitive and reliable’ output gap measure
Authors turn to a “Beveridge-Nelson filter” to produce an output gap estimate that performs better than those produced by other filtering techniques
Be careful of using swaps to track inflation expectations, analyst says
Be careful of using swaps to track inflation expectations, analyst says
Spanish paper models effects of European ‘fiscal delegation’
Supranational fiscal authority would improve welfare, authors argue
Financial constraints fuel price mark-ups, Italian paper finds
Researchers use data on Italian economy in 2010 to 2013
Bank and capital market financing not created equal – BIS paper
Substituting bank loans for non-bank finance after a shock appears to have a negative impact on the economy, authors find
Commodity prices impact the probability of project completion in Peru – paper
BIS paper examines how a drop in oil prices affects the timing and completion of investment projects; results show mining sector in Peru is particularly sensitive
Schembri: mix of factors holding back Canadian investment
The outlook is improving, the deputy governor says; openness to trade and immigration are likely to boost growth
Positive shock could still trip up advanced economies – Blanchard
Former IMF chief economist warns high debt levels could interact with positive shocks to cause problems; backs Rogoff’s plan for a cashless society
Hysteresis can explain eurozone peculiarities – Eichengreen and Bayoumi
Eurozone has not responded to shocks in the way economic theory would normally imply, with the German economy tied surprisingly closely to those of ‘peripheral’ countries
Boost technology diffusion to solve productivity puzzle – Haldane
BoE’s chief economist says a “long tail” of low-productivity firms need support as they fall further behind a small frontier group
New factors driving EM corporate leverage – RBI paper
Changed macroeconomic backdrop has taken over from firm-specific factors in driving the build-up of corporate leverage in emerging markets, RBI economist finds
IMF authors examine conditions for structural reform success
Most labour and product market reforms strengthen medium-term output and fiscal sustainability, but they may be painful to implement in some parts of the cycle
US policy is “ultimate risk” for emerging markets – panellists
Expert panel says US fiscal, trade and monetary policy all have the potential to cause trouble for emerging markets in the coming months, though some risks seem over-stated
Caruana: financial globalisation is not over
BIS chief says “peak finance” has not arrived, despite signs of a slowdown in global banking activity; warns against inward-looking policy-making