Alex Sebastian - Latest

• May 19, 2011

  Lessons from the Use of Extraordinary Central Bank Liquidity Facilities

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Stéphane Lavoie, Alex Sebastian, Virginie Traclet

  The recent crisis was characterized by widespread deterioration in funding conditions, as well as impairment of the mechanism through which liquidity is normally redistributed within the financial system. Central banks responded with extraordinary measures. This article examines the provision of liquidity by central banks during the crisis as they adapted their existing facilities and introduced new ones, while encouraging a return to private markets and mitigating moral hazard. A review of this experience illustrates the importance of clear principles for intervention, a flexible operating framework, and clear communication and co-operation by central banks. By exposing the degree of interdependence of financial institutions and markets, the crisis highlighted the need for reforms aimed at improving the infrastructure supporting core funding markets and the liquidity of individual institutions.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Lender of last resort

• An Assessment of the Bank of Canada's Term PRA Facility

  Staff Working Paper 2010-20 Emanuella Enenajor, Alex Sebastian, Jonathan Witmer

  This paper empirically assesses the effectiveness of the Bank of Canada's term Purchase and Resale Agreement (PRA) facility in reducing short-term bank funding pressures, as measured by the CDOR-OIS spread.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, G, G1, G12, G18