Dudley, William

Despite the fact that it is hard to discern bubbles, especially in their early stages, I conclude that uncertainty is not grounds for inaction. Instead, the decision whether to act depends on whether appropriate tools can be deployed to limit the size of a bubble and whether the benefits of acting and deploying such tools are likely to exceed the costs.

That cost-benefit calculus, in turn, depends crucially on the tools we can deploy to limit the growth of bubbles and the consequences when they burst. In this respect, I will argue that, in most cases, use of the bully pulpit and macroprudential tools, such as rules limiting loan-to-value ratios or leverage, are likely to prove superior to monetary policy.