The information content of the term structure of interest rates about future inflation - An illustration of the importance of accounting for a time-varying real interest rate and inflation risk premium

During the past 15 years a large number of studies have used the approach suggested by Mishkin (Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 105 (1990), No.3, pp. 815-828; Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 25 (1990), No.1, pp. 77-95) to examine the information content of the term structure of interest rates about future inflation. The empirical results of these studies, however, are very mixed and often not supportive of the Mishkin model. In addition, many results indicate that the term structure of interest rates only contains limited information about future inflation and that the relationship. between the term structure of interest rates and future inflation may not be stable over time. In this paper an extension of the Mishkin model allowing for time-varying expected real interest rates and inflation risk premia is suggested and tested using monthly UK data from 1983:1 to 2004:10. The empirical results show that while the standard Mishkin model indicates that the term structure of interest rates contains limited information about future inflation, the extended Mishkin model indicates the contrary, i.e. the term structure of interest rates contains much information about future inflation when account is taken of time-varying expected real interest rates and inflation risk premia-especially when the long end of the term structure of interest rates is considered. Furthermore, the results indicate a potential structural break in the relationship between the term structure of interest rates and future inflation around the time the Bank of England started targeting inflation rates.