Monetary policy consequences of financial stability interventions: assessing the UK LDI crisis and the central bank policy response

Staff working papers set out research in progress by our staff, with the aim of encouraging comments and debate.
Published on 05 April 2024

Staff Working Paper No. 1,070

By Nicolò Bandera and Jacob Stevens

We study the macroeconomic implications of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in the context of the 2022 UK gilt crisis and estimate the monetary policy spillovers of financial stability interventions. We make three contributions. First, we develop the first DSGE model featuring liability driven investment (LDI) and pension funds. This novel framework in which LDI activity amplifies the movements in gilt prices allows us to replicate the UK gilt crisis, demonstrating a crucial mechanism through which NBFIs can amplify financial and economic distress. Second, we quantitatively estimate the monetary policy spillovers of the Bank of England financial stability asset purchases. We find that the asset purchases were successful in offsetting LDI-driven gilt market dysfunction. The temporary, targeted nature of these purchases was crucial in avoiding monetary spillovers. Third, we model two counterfactual instruments – an NBFI repo tool and a macroprudential liquidity buffer – and compare their effectiveness as well as monetary spillovers. Our results show that the central bank can successfully address NBFI-driven market stress without loosening monetary policy, avoiding potential tensions between price and financial stability.

Monetary policy consequences of financial stability
interventions: assessing the UK LDI crisis and the central bank
policy response