Was There a "Peso Problem" in the U.S. Term Structure of Interest Rates:1979-1982?

27 Pages Posted: 14 Aug 2007 Last revised: 22 Dec 2022

See all articles by Karen K. Lewis

Karen K. Lewis

University of Pennsylvania - Finance Department; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: March 1990

Abstract

During the period following October 1979 through 1982, the U.S. Federal Reserve allowed interest rates to fluctuate widely, in contrast to its previous policy of targeting these rates in the 1970. The policy was abandoned in 1982 in favor of an operating procedure that reduced the variation in interest rates. This paper implements an estimation method to identify from the term structure of Eurodollar returns the market's beliefs that the Fed may revert to interest rate targeting. The model is not rejected and gives plausible estimates of the probability of a switch in monetary regimes.

Suggested Citation

Lewis, Karen Kay, Was There a "Peso Problem" in the U.S. Term Structure of Interest Rates:1979-1982? (March 1990). NBER Working Paper No. w3282, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=468804

Karen Kay Lewis (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania - Finance Department ( email )

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