Boom-Bust Phases in Asset Prices and Fiscal Policy Behavior

April 1, 2004

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Format: Chicago

Ludger Schuknecht, and Albert Jaeger. Boom-Bust Phases in Asset Prices and Fiscal Policy Behavior, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2004) accessed December 26, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

Boom and bust phases in asset prices have become a pervasive feature of macroeconomic developments in many advanced economies. This paper studies fiscal policy during boom-bust phases in asset prices and draws several conclusions. First, expansions and contractions in economic activity during such boom-bust phases tend to be highly persistent, cyclical turning points are harder to forecast, and the margins of error for output gap estimates can be large. Second, conventional estimates of revenue elasticities seem not to allow an accurate assessment of the fiscal stance and of the strength of underlying fiscal positions during boom-bust phases. And third, boom-bust phases tend to exacerbate already existing procyclical policy biases, as well as political-economy biases, toward higher spending and public debt ratios.

Subject: Asset prices, Business cycles, Economic growth, Fiscal policy, Fiscal stance, Output gap, Prices, Production

Keywords: Asset price, Asset price boom, Asset price downturn, Asset price swing, Asset prices, Boom or bust, Boom-bust cycles, Business cycles, Bust phase, Cyclical adjustment, Deficit bias, Europe, Fiscal policy, Fiscal stance, Growth rate sequence, Identifying asset price swing, Output gap, Output growth, Price change, Price downturn, Real asset, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

36
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2004/054
Stock No:

WPIEA0542004
ISBN:

9781451847543
ISSN:

1018-5941

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