Robust Measures of Core Inflation for Vietnam.

The paper develops robust measures of core inflation for Vietnam that can be used in policymaking. These core inflation measures (CIMs) are based on an analytical evaluation of the inflation process in the country, and use a filtering approach to narrow down potential measures that satisfy certain empirically desirable criteria. The study finds that commonly used exclusion-based measures (EBMs) do not perform well against these empirical criteria; trimmed mean measures (TMMs) do better. Among TMMs, "one trim does not fit all periods" -- periods of high and variable inflation require larger trims, and vice versa. The econometric computer programmes employed in the paper allow for quick and timely replication of CIMs as new data become available, making them valuable tools for the State Bank of Vietnam. These procedures and programmes can also be helpful to other central banks in their policy making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies is the property of ISEAS- Yusof Ishak Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)