David Bolder

Author

  • M. Math, University of Waterloo
  • MBA, University of British Columbia
  • Honours Business Administration (HBA), University of Western Ontario

Staff discussion papers

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Staff working papers

Combining Canadian Interest-Rate Forecasts

Staff Working Paper 2008-34 David Bolder, Yuliya Romanyuk
Model risk is a constant danger for financial economists using interest-rate forecasts for the purposes of monetary policy analysis, portfolio allocations, or risk-management decisions. Use of multiple models does not necessarily solve the problem as it greatly increases the work required and still leaves the question "which model forecast should one use?"
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C1, C11, E, E4, E43, E47

Optimization in a Simulation Setting: Use of Function Approximation in Debt Strategy Analysis

Staff Working Paper 2007-13 David Bolder, Tiago Rubin
The stochastic simulation model suggested by Bolder (2003) for the analysis of the federal government's debt-management strategy provides a wide variety of useful information. It does not, however, assist in determining an optimal debt-management strategy for the government in its current form.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, Fiscal policy JEL Code(s): C, C0, C1, C14, C15, C5, C51, C52, C6, C61, C65, E, E6, G, G1, H, H6, H63

An Empirical Analysis of the Canadian Term Structure of Zero-Coupon Interest Rates

Staff Working Paper 2004-48 David Bolder, Adam Metzler, Grahame Johnson
Zero-coupon interest rates are the fundamental building block of fixed-income mathematics, and as such have an extensive number of applications in both finance and economics.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C0, C6, E, E4, G, G1

A Stochastic Simulation Framework for the Government of Canada's Debt Strategy

Staff Working Paper 2003-10 David Bolder
Debt strategy is defined as the manner in which a government finances an excess of government expenditures over revenues and any maturing debt issued in previous periods. The author gives a thorough qualitative description of the complexities of debt strategy analysis and then demonstrates that it is, in fact, a problem in stochastic optimal control.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Economic models JEL Code(s): C, C0, C1, C15, C5, C52, H, H6, H63

Exponentials, Polynomials, and Fourier Series: More Yield Curve Modelling at the Bank of Canada

Staff Working Paper 2002-29 David Bolder, Scott Gusba
This paper continues the work started by Bolder and Stréliski (1999) and considers two alternative classes of models for extracting zero-coupon and forward rates from a set of observed Government of Canada bond and treasury-bill prices.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C0, C6, E, E4, G, G1

Towards a More Complete Debt Strategy Simulation Framework

Staff Working Paper 2002-13 David Bolder
An effective technique governments use to evaluate the desirability of different financing strategies involves stochastic simulation. This approach requires the postulation of the future dynamics of key macroeconomic variables and the use of those variables in the construction of a debt charge distribution for each individual financing strategy.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C0, C5, G, G0

Affine Term-Structure Models: Theory and Implementation

Staff Working Paper 2001-15 David Bolder
Affine models describe the stylized time-series properties of the term structure of interest rates in a reasonable manner, they generalize relatively easily to higher dimensions, and a vast academic literature exists relating to their implementation. This combination of characteristics makes the affine class a natural introductory point for modelling interest rate dynamics.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C0, C5, G, G0

Easing Restrictions on the Stripping and Reconstitution of Government of Canada Bonds

Staff Working Paper 1998-8 David Bolder, Serge Boisvert
The Department of Finance and the Bank of Canada, as its fiscal agent, work closely with financial market participants in the management of the federal government's debt program. From the government's perspective, maintaining a liquid well-functioning market in Government of Canada securities is a key factor in ensuring that debt-service costs are minimized. It is […]
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management JEL Code(s): G, G1

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Technical reports

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Bank publications

Bank of Canada Review articles

June 20, 2008

The Canadian Debt-Strategy Model

Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2008 David Bolder
In its role as fiscal agent to the government, the Bank of Canada provides analysis and advice on decisions about the government's domestic debt portfolio. Debt-management decisions depend on assumptions about future interest rates, macroeconomic outcomes, and fiscal policy, yet when a debt-strategy decision is taken, none of these factors can be known with certainty. Moreover, the government has various financing options (i.e., treasury bills, nominal bonds, and inflation-linked bonds) to meet its objectives of minimizing debt-service charges while simultaneously ensuring a prudent risk profile and well-functioning government securities markets. Bank of Canada staff have therefore developed a mathematical model to assist in the decision-making process. This article describes the key aspects of the debt manager's challenge and the principal assumptions incorporated in the debt-strategy model, illustrated with specific results.
Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Debt management, Economic models, Fiscal policy

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