Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
July 2017
How Effective is Monetary Policy at the Zero Lower Bound? Identification Through Industry Heterogeneity
Abstract:
US monetary policy was constrained from 2008 to 2015 by the zero lower bound, during which the Federal Reserve would likely have lowered the federal funds rate further if it were able to. This paper uses industry-level data to examine how growth was affected. Despite the zero bound constraint, industries historically more sensitive to interest rates, such as construction, performed relatively well in comparison to industries not typically affected by monetary policy. Further evidence suggests that unconventional policy lowered the effective stance of policy below zero.
Accessible materials (.zip)
Keywords: industry heterogeneity, unconventional monetary policy, zero lower bound
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2017.073
PDF: Full Paper