This paper examines several specification errors in the M2-based P* model and develops an M1-based estimate of this model. The apparent statistical significance of M2 is shown to arise from a spurious regression that uses a non-stationary regressor and because the significance test for M2 is biased by including the influence of a lagged dependent variable whose coefficient is not normally distributed. When these problems are addressed, M2 is not statistically significant related to the price level. The M1-based P* model exhibits a significant relationship between M1 and the price level, however.
https://doi.org/10.20955/wp.1990.008
follow @stlouisfed