Asymmetries in the transmission of oil price shocks to inflation in the eurozone

Abstract

Theory predicts that the level of inflation in an economy and the trend in the prevailing inflation rate may affect how oil price shocks, through their influence on firms’ expectations and price-setting behaviors, are transmitted to inflation. However, empirical evidence regarding this relationship is limited and calls for further exploration. Using data for 12 eurozone countries over the period from 1999 to 2020, we analyze how the inflation environment in which an oil price shock occurs influences its transmission. We find that the inflation environment is a determinant in the way oil supply shocks and oil-specific demand shocks are transmitted to inflation, with positive shocks displaying higher transmission in high inflation environments. Furthermore, transmission of shocks to core inflation, which represents an indirect effect, only occurs in high inflation environments. These findings highlight the need to consider the inflation environment in order to define appropriate monetary policies in response to inflationary pressures caused by oil price shocks.