Endogenous Forecast Switching Near the Zero Lower Bound

2017-24 | November 1, 2019

A representative agent contemplates the possibility of an occasionally binding zero lower bound (ZLB) on the nominal interest rate that is driven by switching between two local equilibria, labeled the "targeted" and "deflation" solutions, respectively. This view turns out to be true in simulations, thus validating the agent’s beliefs. I solve for the time series of stochastic shocks and endogenous forecast weights that allow the model to exactly replicate the observed time paths of U.S. data since 1988. The data since the start of the ZLB episode in 2008.Q4 are best described as a time-varying mixture of the two local equilibria

Article Citation

J. Lansing, Kevin. 2017. “Endogenous Forecast Switching Near the Zero Lower Bound,” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working Paper 2017-24. Available at https://doi.org/10.24148/wp2017-24

About the Author
Kevin Lansing
Kevin Lansing is a senior research advisor in the Economic Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Learn more about Kevin Lansing