The present study compared the maximum usable real-ear insertion gain (REIG) permitted by 10 earmold designs that varied in the amount of occlusion. These earmolds were coupled to a high-gain hearing aid (Phonak Super-Front PPCL). In addition, the specificity of a nonoccluding earmold for the Oticon E43 hearing aid was examined. Maximum usable REIG, defined as the insertion gain obtained with t...

In this paper the author proves that the Expected Net Future Value (ENFV) criterion can lead a risk neutral social planner to reject projects that increase expected utility. By contrast, the Expected Net Present Value (ENPV) rule correctly identifies the economic value of the project. While the ENFV increases with uncertainty over future interest rates, the expected utility decreases because of...

This paper tests for the existence of asymmetric information between the Federal Reserve and the public by examining Federal Reserve and commercial inflation forecasts. It demonstrates that the Federal Reserve has considerable information about inflation beyond what is known to commercial forecasters. It also shows that monetary-policy actions provide signals of the Federal Reserve’s informatio...

There is strong evidence that the interest rates charged by banks on the flow of newly extended Commercial & Industrial (C&I) loans predict future loan performance and CAMEL rating downgrades by bank supervisors. While internal risk ratings have little explanatory power for future loan performance, they do help predict future CAMEL downgrades. These findings suggest that supervisors might consi...

We build a model in which the Fed and market disagree about future aggregate demand. The anticipates monetary policy “mistakes,” affect current demand induce to partially accommodate market’s view. expects implement its view gradually. Announcements that reveal an unexpected change Fed’s belief provide microfoundation for shocks. Tantrum shocks arise when misinterprets overreacts announcement. ...

This paper determines optimal public debt in a life cycle model with incomplete markets that matches the empirically observed variation consumption, labor, and savings. We find savings—not debt—equal to 168 percent of output is optimal, primarily due influence on household decision-making. By inducing lower interest rate, savings slow consumption leisure growth over an average household’s lifet...

The responsiveness of house prices to monetary policy shocks depends on the nature shock—expansionary versus contractionary—and local housing supply elasticities. These findings are established using a panel 263 US metropolitan areas. Expansionary have larger impact in supply-inelastic Contractionary orthogonal In supply-elastic areas, contractionary greater than expansionary do. opposite holds...

Is credit expansion a sign of desirable financial deepening or the prelude to an inevitable bust? We study this question in modern US data using structural VAR model 10 monthly frequency variables, identified by heteroskedasticity. Negative reduced-form responses output growth are caused endogenous monetary policy response shocks. On average, and remain positively associated. “Financial stress”...

We use unique institutional securities holdings data to examine the trading behaviour of delegated capital and its impact on bond risk premia. show that fund managers trade strongly procyclically: they actively move into higher yielding, longer duration lower rated as yields fall spreads compress, vice versa. Funds more exposed negative increase their risk-taking strongly, this effect is partic...