A Note on the Role of Monetary Policy When Natural Gas Supply Is Inelastic

Abstract

This note argues that in a situation of an inelastic natural gas supply a restrictive monetary policy in the euro zone could reduce the energy bill and therefore has additional merits. A more hawkish monetary policy may be able to indirectly use monopsony power on the gas market. The welfare benefits of such a policy are diluted to the extent that some of the supply (approximately 10 percent) comes from within the euro zone, which may give rise to distributional concerns.

Keywords: energy crisis, monetary policy, natural gas

JEL Classification: E52, Q31