Exits from Recessions: The U.S. Experience 1920-2007 [report]

Michael Bordo, John Landon-Lane
2010 unpublished
In this paper we provide some evidence on the issue of when a central bank should shift from expansionary to contractionary monetary policy after a recession has ended-the exit strategy. We examine the relationship between the timing of changes in several instruments of monetary policy and the timing of changes of selected real macro aggregates and price level (inflation) variables across U.S. business cycles from 1920-2007. We find, based on historical narratives, descriptive evidence and
more » ... metric analysis, that in the 1920s and the 1950s the Fed would generally tighten when the price level turned up. By contrast, since 1960 the Fed has generally tightened when unemployment peaked and this tightening often occurred after inflation began to rise. The Fed is often too late to prevent inflation.
doi:10.3386/w15731 fatcat:bmeoauebangdtgm6siyvcv375m