Considers UK aspects of the book 'Monetary trends in the United States and the United Kingdom' by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz.

The income velocity of money-an inverse measure of the demand for money balances-is the ratio of the money value of income to the average money stock that the public (excluding banks) holds in a given period. Why the magnitude of that ratio has changed over time is the subject of Michael D. Bordo and Lars Jonung's classic study, originally published as The Long-Run Behavior of the Velocity of Circulation. Supported by statistical data, econometric estimation techniques, and meticulous historical analysis, this work describes, in an international setting, how slow-moving economic, social, and political forces interact with the decisions households and firms make about how much money to hold. Annual time series of velocity for several countries from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century display a U-shaped pattern. Existing theories can explain each section of the velocity curve-the falling, flat, and rising parts-but the overall pattern is not consistent with any one theory. Here the authors put forth a comprehensive explanation for this behavior over time. Their theory is largely an extension of the approach of Knut Wicksell, the Swedish economist who stressed the role of substitution between monetary assets. This approach, which emphasizes institutional variables, is incorporated into the arguments for the traditional long-run money demand (velocity) function. Four types of empirical evidence strongly support the authors' theory: econometric studies of the long-run velocity function for several countries; a cross section study of approximately eighty countries in the postwar period; a case study of the Swedish monetization process in the fifty years before World War I; and an examination of the time series properties of velocity. Demand for Money suggests that institutional factors, as opposed to real income, play a greater role in velocity than previously thought. And these institutional factors have a major impact on monetary policy. This is a book that will prove of great value to economists, monetary strategists, and policymakers.

This collection of papers represents the state of the art in the applicationof recent econometric methods to the analysis of financial markets. From a methodological point of view the main emphasis is on cointegration analysis and ARCH modelling. In cointegration analysis the links between long-runcomponents of time series are studied. The methods used can be applied to the determination of equilibrium relationships between the variables, whereas ARCH models are concerned with the measurement and analysis of changing variances in time series. These econometric models have been the most significant innovations for the empirical analysis of financial time series in recent years. Other econometric methods and models applied in the papers include factor analysis, vector autoregressions, and Markov-switching models. The papers cover a wide range of issues and theories in financial and international economics: the term structure ofinterest rates, exchange-rate determination, target-zone dynamics, stock-market efficiency, and option pricing.

In 1999 a number of member states of the European Union will adopt a common currency. This change in the monetary system requires that a Eur opean Central Bank is set up and a common monetary policy is pursued. There is general agreement among those countries which are likely to join the common currency that price level stability has to be the ultimate objec tive of monetary po1icy. It is an open issue, however, what kind of policy is best suited for that purpose. The alternative strategies under discussion are a direct inflation targeting, an intermediate monetary targeting or a mixture of both. For these policy strategies a stable money demand relation is of cen tral importance. Therefore a workshop on Money Demand in Europe was organized at the Humboldt University in Berlin on October 10/11, 1997. This research conference brought together academic and central bank econo mists and econometricians predominantly from Europe to discuss issues on specification, estimation and, in particular, stability of money demand rela tions both in a single equation and in a systems framework. In this volume revised versions of the papers presented and discussed at the workshop are collected. The volume thereby gives an overview of money demand analysis in Europe on the eve of the introduction of the Euro in some European countries. It contributes to the discussion on a suitable monetary policy for the new European Central Bank.

Milton Friedman is widely regarded as one of the most influential economists of the twentieth century. Although he made many important contributions to both economic theory and policy - most clearly demonstrated by his development of and support for monetarism - he was also active in various spheres of public policy, where he more often than not pursued his championing of the free market and liberty. This volume assesses the importance of the full range of Friedman's ideas, from his work on methodology in economics, his highly innovative consumption theory, and his extensive research on monetary economics, to his views on contentious social and political issues such as education, conscription, and drugs. It also presents personal recollections of Friedman by some of those who knew him, both as students and colleagues, and offers new evidence on Friedman's interactions with other noted economists, including George Stigler and Lionel Robbins. The volume provides readers with an up to date account of Friedman's work and continuing influence and will help to inform and stimulate further research across a variety of areas, including macroeconomics, the history of economic thought, as well as the development and different uses of public policy. With contributions from a stellar cast, this book will be invaluable to academics and students alike.

The introduction of a single European currency constitutes a remarkable instance of internationalization of monetary policy. Whether a concomitant internationalization can be detected also in the econometric foundations of monetary policy is the topic dealt with in this book. The basic theoretical ingredients comprise a data-driven approach to econometric modelling and a generalized approach to cross-sectional aggregation. The empirical result is a data-consistent structural money demand function isolated within a properly identified, dynamic macroeconomic system for Europe. The book itself evolved from a research project within the former Son derforschungsbereich SFB 178 "Internationalization of the Economy" at the University of Konstanz. Its finalization entails a due amount of gratitude to be extended into several directions: I am personally indebted, first of all, to my academic supervisor, Professor Dr. Nikolaus Laufer, for originally inspiring this work and for meticulously perusing its eventual result. Professor Dr. Win fried Pohlmeier, as a second supervisor, provided valuable confidence bounds around an earlier draft. The comments of both supervisors contributed substantially to the present shape of the book. I am institutionally indebted to the University of Konstanz, notably its Faculty of Economics and Statistics, for continuous provision of an excellent research environment, and to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in Bonn for generous sponsorship of the former SFB, whose financial support dur ing that period is gratefully acknowledged. I am also indebted to Dresdner Bank AG Frankfurt, Risk Methodology Trading, for benign tolerance of all distractions associated with the preparation of the final manuscript.

The book is an in-depth review of the theory and empirics of the demand for money and other financial assets. The different theoretical approaches to the portfolio choice problem are described, together with an up-to-date survey of the results obtained from empirical studies of asset choice behaviour. Both single-equation studies and the more complete multi-asset portfolio models, are analysed.

These two volumes present essays on the subdiscipline of Chicago Monetarism in economics. Some of the issues under dispute can be regarded as resolved, while others are still being debated. The contibutors include Friedman, Patinkin, Harry Johnson and James Tobin.