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Deputy Governor Júlia Király discusses the global outlook on hiking prices and the impact on EU member states, with a special focus on Hungary. The article outlines the various causes of global inflation and suggests policy responses to address them.
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Monetary policy and global inflationJúlia KirályDeputy GovernorMagyar Nemzeti Bank Based on the joint work of Julia Kiraly - Tóth MátéBarnabás
Outline 1. Global outlook – hiking prices 2. What does happen in the EU new member states 3. A special case study: Hungary – déja vue?
What we see? • Oil, food and commodity price increases are pushing up inflation all over the world • But we are not anywhere near to the inflation rates of the ’70s or ’80s • However, there is no reason for central banks to be complacent
Three competing stories • Temporary spike in oil/food/commodity prices • Due to bad weather, capacity bottlenecks, speculation etc. • Permanent relative price change, driven by structural factors • increasing demand from China and India, subsidies for bio-fuel production • Global inflationary pressure • monetary conditions are too loose at the global level • commodity prices are leading headline inflation
How to respond?(in a small and open economy) • Temporary spike • Accommodate the short runinflationary impact • Ensure that inflation expectations remain well anchored and no second round effects occur • Permanent relative price change • Ensure that it takes place in a low inflationary environment • Exchange rate appreciation and a temporarily negative output gap may be necessary • But keep an eye on potential output and second round effects • Global inflation • Aggregate, nominal phenomenon: no change in relative prices needed • Offset imported inflation byengineering exchange rate appreciation
But… • The above three stories are not mutually exclusive… • … and we don’t know which is the most likely one • Policy responses should take this uncertainty into account
New member states • Floaters are more able to cope with imported price pressures • A credible inflation target coupled with the appropriate policy response helps • Countries with fixed exchange rate regimes are in trouble • Imported inflation + imported monetary conditions
Hungary - déja vu? • The fiscal adjustment measures introduced in 2006 created a very similar environment • Inflationary shock due to one off increases in indirect taxes and regulated prices • Slowdown in activity negative output gap • Possible decline in potential (or long run trend) output due to intensifying distortive taxation • Monetary policy decided not to offset the short run impact (see story 1) concentrated on 2nd round effects instead • Lags in the transmission mechanism • The edge of the exchange rate band limited the room for manoeuvre • The output gap will help to disinflate
Hungary - déja vu? (2) • Just when the inflationary impact of the fiscal adjustment started to fade the oil/food price shock hit • This time we would be ill advised to accommodate • Risks of second round effects and inflation expectations becoming un-anchored are higher • We are not sure whether we are facing a one-off rise in inflation or something more permanent • We abandoned the exchange rate band • Reaching our medium term target during 2009 is still within reach • Therefore we tightened by 100 basis points in the first half of the year