Levy: Fed's System of Estimating and Communicating Dots Needs Changes
At the conclusion of its FOMC meeting this Wednesday, the Fed will release its quarterly Summary of Economic Projections (SEPs). In this podcast episode of Central Bank Central, Kathleen Hays and I discussed expected changes in the Fed's projections, the history of the SEPs, and common misperceptions. Based on a recent paper co-authored with Charles Plosser, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and presented to the Hoover Monetary Policy Conference ("The Fed's Strategic Approach to Monetary Policy Needs a Reboot", May 2-3, 2024) and last week's related Wall Street Journal Commentary ("What the Fed Doesn't Communicate, June 6, 2024), I provide suggestions for how the Fed should modify and improve the SEPs.
The Fed’s Strategic Approach to Monetary Policy Needs a Reboot
Fed Chair Powell has announced the Fed will conduct a strategic review of monetary policy later this year. This article, co-written by Mickey D. Levy and Charles I. Plosser, focuses on the characteristics and failures of the strategic framework that the Fed adopted in 2020 and how this framework contributed to monetary policy mistakes and high inflation. It provides suggestions on issues the Fed should consider in its upcoming strategic review.
The paper was presented at the Hoover Monetary Policy Conference, which took place on May 2-3.
In addition to Levy and Plosser, other presenters in the session were Athanasios Orphanides (MIT), Jon Steinsson (Berkeley) and Larry Summers (Harvard). John Cochrane (Hoover Institution, Stanford University) moderated.
Article: The Fed’s Strategic Approach to Monetary Policy Needs a Reboot
Slides: The Fed’s Strategic Approach to Monetary Policy Needs a Reboot
Time for Fed to Recalibrate View of What's Restrictive?
Here is an interview with Kathleen Hays on her podcast, Central Bank Central. It is based on Levy's Wall Street Journal opinion piece, "The Fed's Latest Problem: A Strong Economy." The discussion sets the stage for assessing the upcoming Fed semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress and the March 19-20 FOMC meeting in which the Fed will provide its updated Summary of Economic Projections.
