Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2001–2002

January 18, 2002
Share this page on Facebook
Share this page on X
Share this page on X
Share this page on LinkedIn
Share this page on LinkedIn Share this page by email
BoC Review - Winter 2001-2002

Cover page

Byzantine 40-Nummi Piece

The 40-nummi piece was the largest and heaviest copper coin minted under Justinian. About the size of an old Canadian silver dollar, it weighs 22.76 grams. It was struck in Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire and is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada.

Photography by James Zagon, Ottawa.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
December 18, 2001

The Resolution of International Financial Crises: Private Finance and Public Funds

Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2001–2002 Andy Haldane, Mark Kruger
Over the past year and a half, authors Andy Haldane of the Bank of England and Mark Kruger of the Bank of Canada have been developing a framework for the resolution of international financial crises that aligns incentives for all parties in a way that deals with the crisis and preserves the integrity of the international financial system. The framework is built on principles, not rules. It attempts to be clear about the respective roles and responsibilities of the public and private sectors. A central element in shaping private sector expectations is knowledge that the official sector will behave predictably. Constraints on lending by the International Monetary Fund are a key step in that direction. They ensure that private sector involvement is a crucial part of crisis resolution, and they help encourage debtors and creditors to seek co-operative solutions to a crisis. Characterized by constraints, clarity, and orderliness, the framework has the potential to reduce the incidence and cost of financial crises.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): International topics
December 17, 2001

The Canadian Fixed-Income Market: Recent Developments and Outlook

Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2001–2002 Éric Chouinard, Zahir Lalani
The Canadian fixed-income market is in the midst of a structural transformation similar to those occurring in other national financial markets around the world. The authors examine recent developments and trends in the market and discuss their possible effects. The simultaneous shrinking of the federal government's financial requirements and steady rise in issues of corporate securities have significantly altered the composition of Canada's fixed-income market. Government of Canada securities constitute a predominant portion of outstanding fixed-income securities and play a pivotal role, serving as benchmarks for the valuation of other traded securities and as a hedging vehicle for market participants trying to control their exposure to risk. The reduced issuance of federal government securities has contributed to a decline in the liquidity of the benchmark market. This raises broader issues regarding the future of the Canadian fixed-income market, since the corporate market is still fairly underdeveloped and illiquid compared with that for Government of Canada issues. There are thus currently few benchmark and hedging alternatives. The federal government is, however, committed to preserving the integrity of the market for benchmark issues and is adopting initiatives to enhance market liquidity and alleviate some of the pressures on the effective supply of these securities. Another evolving trend in the market is the emergence of electronic trading platforms. These platforms have the potential to facilitate the price-discovery mechanism, increase cost efficiency, and improve the liquidity and transparency of the market.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Debt management, Financial markets
December 16, 2001

Risk Management in the Exchange Fund Account

Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2001–2002 Michel Rochette
In this article, author Michel Rochette of the Bank's Risk-Management Unit briefly describes the initiatives undertaken to identify, analyze, model, and manage the principal risks inherent in the transactions of the Exchange Fund Account (EFA), where the international reserves of the federal government are held. The author focuses on five types of risk: credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, and legal risk. In addition, the author presents the risk-management principles underlying the activities of the EFA and the governance structure of the Account.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles