Named after the annual meeting of U.S. central bankers in Jackson Hole in the state of Wyoming, it is understood to mean – in a narrower sense – the opinion that a central bank cannot prevent possible speculative bubbles. It is only responsible for minimizing the damage after the bubble bursts (bursting of the bubble), also known as the “mop-up thesis”. – In a broader sense, this also includes eight core statements on the role of monetary policy, namely – Discretionary fiscal policy is rejected as an instrument of demand management. – The principal economic policy instrument is to be monetary policy, operated by the management of short-term interest rates. – The monetary transmission mechanism operates mainly through longer-term interest rates, asset prices and expectations of future inflation. – The conduct of monetary policy is best delegated to an independent central bank. – The link between intermediate monetary targets (such as the money supply) and policy objectives is too unstable for their policy use, although they may serve as indicators of future demand and inflation. – Monetary action should instead be targeted directly on the price level, but with some “constrained discretion” toward the pursuit of output stability. – Asset markets provide an efficient means of risk distribution and are not normally amenable to monetary policy action. – Financial markets are generally well developed and well regulated, and systematic crises are therefore unlikely, some of which are controversial and are still debated today. Malicious tongues added a guiding principle to the eight consensus principles listed, namely – central bankers do not always act wrong. – See bubble, cleaning up after, real estate bubble, leaning against the wind, market knowledge, central banking, feedback loop, runup, speculative bubble, free rider, tulip crash, overexposure, exuberance, unreasonable, asset bubble, finding back… – Cf. ECB Monthly Bulletin, November 2010, p. 75 ff. (ways in which monetary policy can avoid bubbles; many overviews).
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University Professor Dr. Gerhard Merk, Dipl.rer.pol., Dipl.rer.oec.
Professor Dr. Eckehard Krah, Dipl.rer.pol.
E-mail address: info@ekrah.com
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Ernst_Merk
https://www.jung-stilling-gesellschaft.de/merk/
https://www.gerhardmerk.de/