Search Results
Working Paper
Supply or Demand? Policy Makers' Confusion in the Presence of Hysteresis
Policy makers need to separate between temporary demand-driven shocks and permanent shocks in order to design optimal aggregate demand policies. In this paper we study the case of a central bank that ignores the presence of hysteresis when identifying shocks. By assuming that all low frequency output fluctuations are driven by permanent technology shocks, monetary policy is not aggressive enough in response to demand shocks. In addition, we show that errors in assessing the state of the economy can be self-perpetuating if seen through the lens of the mistaken views of the policymaker. We show ...
Journal Article
When Is Shelter Services Inflation Coming Down?
Shelter costs are one of the largest expenses for most households and an important component of overall inflation. It is therefore important to understand why shelter costs have remained stubbornly high. A key explanation is that, especially since the pandemic, demand for housing has been growing faster than new units have come into the market. Using the gap between the demand for and supply of housing along with other leading indicators of shelter prices can help assess whether shelter inflation will continue on a path toward historically normal levels.
Speech
Supply Factors and the Evolution of the Economy
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President & CEO Susan M. Collins delivered the 2025 Razin Economic Policy Lecture on “Supply Factors and the Evolution of the Economy” at Georgetown University. President Collins says her outlook for both economic activity and inflation remains clouded by significant uncertainty, as well as competing risks. She notes supply-side factors have been underappreciated in “understanding how the economy has evolved,” which is “critical for assessing its likely trajectory.” Looking ahead, President Collins expects supply factors will continue to play a key ...
Discussion Paper
Will Peak Demand Roil Global Oil Markets?
“Peak oil”—the notion that the depletion of accessible petroleum deposits would soon lead to declining global oil output and an upward trend in prices—was widely debated in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Proponents of the peak supply thesis turned out to be wrong, given the introduction of fracking and other new extraction methods. Now the notion of peak oil is back, but in reverse form, with global demand set to flatten and then fade amid growing use of EVs and other low-carbon technologies. The arrival of “peak demand” would turn global oil markets into a zero-sum game: Supply ...
Working Paper
Was the Post-Lockdown Inflation Surge Mainly Supply Driven?
By December 2022, the price level of personal consumption expenditures on core goods and services had risen more than 10 percent over the preceding two years. This paper studies consumption price and quantity changes at the disaggregate level using a generalization of Shapiro’s (2024) inflation decomposition method. Categories with inflation and consumption growth innovations that positively co-move are labeled as experiencing current demand-pull inflation. Negative co-movement in the two innovations indicates current supply-push inflation. Category inflation is then decomposed into supply ...
Journal Article
Is Demand or Supply More Important for Inflation?
Simulations using a Phillips curve-type relationship provide insights into the importance of demand versus supply for inflation over different periods. The decade of low inflation after the Great Recession was driven mainly by supply forces. Given that monetary policy operates to influence demand but not supply, this result helps to account for the persistent undershooting of the Fed’s 2% inflation goal during these years. In contrast, the period of high inflation during the pandemic era was driven mainly by demand forces.
Speech
Perspectives on the Economy and Policymaking
Susan Collins reviews a wide range of information to assess the evolving economy. She looks for patterns and trends showing sustained reductions in inflation, and progress on the underlying goal of bringing demand and supply back into better balance. She notes that price stability is essential for a well-functioning economy and an important precondition for maximum employment that is sustainable over time.
Speech
Remarks at the 22nd Annual Regional and Community Banker’s Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President & CEO Susan M. Collins participated in the Bank’s 22nd Annual Regional & Community Bankers Conference. In her remarks, President Collins says inflation is still taking a toll across New England, but the Fed sees evidence that inflation is moderating. The impacts of the pandemic remain unusual, and that means a high degree of uncertainty will be an inescapable part of the near-term policymaking environment, necessitating patience. She also says the region’s banking industry plays an essential role, serving communities and providing households and ...
Speech
Parsing the Pandemic’s Effects on Labor Markets
Opening Remarks at the Bank’s 66th Economic Conference, “Labor Markets During and After the Pandemic”. Potentially long-lasting effects of the pandemic on the labor market, such as increased remote work and accelerated automation of service-sector jobs, are likely to have differential effects across the workforce. Understanding these differences is important for achieving the Fed’s mission of a vibrant, inclusive economy in the wake of COVID-19.