An Empirical Note on the Inflation Impact of the Price of Imported Crude Oil: The Case of Germany

This study empirically investigates whether the assumption of the monetary authority in pre-2000 Germany that rising prices of imported crude oil would lead to domestic inflation in Germany had validity. In a model where unemployment rate changes, money stock growth, and wage growth are all allowed for, OLS estimation reveals that although the inflation rate in Germany typically is not sensitive to increasing prices on imported crude oil, crude oil price "shocks" of 50 percent or more during any calendar year have in the past led to significant domestic inflation for the German economy.