Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/114450 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
KOF Working Papers No. 379
Publisher: 
ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, Zurich
Abstract: 
This paper documents nominal stability in Switzerland from 1805 to 2013 using a data set on annual price, wage and nominal GDP changes. The trends of these indicators are estimated by an unobserved-components stochastic-volatility model in order to control for short-term fluctuations and measurement error. Based on a narrative analysis of these trends five main findings emerge. (i) Fiat currency regimes in Switzerland provided a relatively stable monetary background even compared to the metal-currency regimes before WW1. (ii) The flexible inflation targeting regime adopted in December 1999 has performed best over the last two centuries measured by today's definition of nominal stability. (iii) Fiat currency regimes without clearly communicated nominal price anchor (Bretton Woods System and monetary targeting) were characterised by an inflation bias. (iv) The metal-currency regimes (competing currencies and bimetallism before World War 1, and to some extent flexible inflation targeting, were associated with a deflation bias. (v) Persistent deflations in terms of the CPI only occurred under metallic regimes before WW2. These episodes were accompanied by falling nominal GDP, falling employment but relatively stable hourly wages.
Subjects: 
Nominal stability
price stability
monetary regimes
monetary history
unobserved-components stochastic-volatility model
JEL: 
E31
C22
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
363.97 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.