A Quarterly Projection Model for Tonga

This paper customizes to the Tongan economy a macroeconomic model for medium-term quarterly projections of key macro variables (QPM): output, inflation, interest rate, and exchange rate. The model is calibrated to embody the specific attributes of the Tongan economy such as the persistence of domestic output, core inflation and interest rates, as well as Tonga’s monetary policy transmission. It is then used to study three scenarios and assess their impact on the baseline. The first scenario involves shocks proxying for a bank failure. The second scenario introduces shocks that simulate the consequences of a natural disaster. Finally, the third scenario introduces shocks that represent a significant negative external shock on Tonga. These shocks were chosen to reflect the sensitivity of Tonga to adverse financial shocks, to their trading partners’ macroeconomic policies, and to extreme weather events.