Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Why Central Banks Are Now Targeting the Whole Yield Curve
Description
In this episode of Monetary Policy Explained, Lucas and Luna dive into a relatively new but powerful tool: yield curve control. They use the Bank of Japan's experience since 2016 as their case study, explaining how a central bank can target not just the short-term policy rate but specific longer-term yields. Lucas walks through the mechanics—how the BoJ commits to buying unlimited ten-year Japanese government bonds at a fixed yield—and why this goes beyond ordinary quantitative easing. They discuss when such a policy makes sense (usually when short rates are already at zero) and the risks, including the loss of market price discovery and the challenge of eventually exiting. Luna presses on whether the Fed or ECB could ever adopt this approach, and Lucas explains why they've resisted. The episode also touches on the UK's brief experiment with yield curve control in 2022. Specific numbers and dates anchor the discussion: the BoJ's original 0 percent target for ten-year yields, later moved to plus or minus 0.5 percent, and the current band of 1.0 percent. Listeners will come away understanding the difference between yield curve control and quantitative easing, and why this tool remains controversial.