Staff research

• The Canadian Business Cycle: A Comparison of Models

  Staff Working Paper 2007-38 Frédérick Demers, Ryan Macdonald

  This paper examines the ability of linear and nonlinear models to replicate features of real Canadian GDP. We evaluate the models using various business-cycle metrics.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Econometric and statistical methods JEL Code(s): C, C3, C32, E, E3, E37

• Unanticipated Defaults and Losses in Canada's Large-Value Payments System, Revisited

  Staff Discussion Paper 2007-5 Devin Ball, Walter Engert

  Recent work at the Bank of Canada studied the impact of default in Canada’s large-value payments system, and concluded that participants could readily manage their potential losses (McVanel 2005). In an extension of that work, the authors use a much larger set of daily payments data – with three times as many observations – to […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E44, E47, G, G2, G21

• A vision for IMF Surveillance

  Staff Working Paper 2007-37 Robert Lavigne, Philipp Maier, Eric Santor

  The ongoing review of the IMF, initiated in 2005 by Managing Director De Rato, presents an excellent opportunity to re-examine the role, functions and governance of the Fund.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial stability, International topics JEL Code(s): F, F3, F33

• Cross-Country Estimates of the Degree of Fiscal Dominance and Central Bank Independence

  Staff Working Paper 2007-36 Carlos De Resende

  This paper studies the interdependence between fiscal and monetary policies, and their joint role in the determination of the price level.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Fiscal policy, Inflation: costs and benefits JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E4, E42, E5, E50, E6, E63

• Gold Prices and Inflation

  Staff Working Paper 2007-35 Greg Tkacz

  Using data for 14 countries over the 1994 to 2005 period, we assess the leading indicator properties of gold at horizons ranging from 6 to 24 months.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rates, Inflation and prices JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E4, E44

• Should Central Banks Adjust Their Target Horizons in Response to House-Price Bubbles?

  Staff Discussion Paper 2007-4 Meenakshi Basant Roi, Rhys R. Mendes

  The authors investigate the implications of house-price bubbles for the optimal inflation-target horizon using a dynamic general-equilibrium model with credit frictions, house-price bubbles, and small open-economy features. They find that, given the distribution of shocks and inflation persistence over the past 25 years, the optimal target horizon for Canada tends to be at the lower […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Credit and credit aggregates, Economic models, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E44, E5, E52, E58, E6, E61

• Vulnerabilities in Defined-Benefit Pension Plans

  Staff Discussion Paper 2007-3 Jack Selody

  An effective pension system enhances economic and financial efficiency. A majority of pension plans in Canada are defined-benefit (DB) plans, but DB plans are under stress from increasing longevity, low long-term interest rates, and the shrinking equity premium. DB plans are vulnerable to such shocks because they are complex financial vehicles, with interdependencies not fully […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions JEL Code(s): G, G2, G23

• Implications of New Accounting Standards for the Bank of Canada's Balance Sheet

  Staff Discussion Paper 2007-2 Mark Zelmer, Grahame Johnson

  The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) has implemented new accounting standards for the valuation and reporting of financial instruments. They are effective for the Bank of Canada in 2007. As a result of these changes, the Bank has begun valuing its holdings of Government of Canada treasury bills on a fair value basis and […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, M, M4

• Oil Price Movements and the Global Economy: A Model-Based Assessment

  Staff Working Paper 2007-34 Selim Elekdag, René Lalonde, Douglas Laxton, Dirk Muir, Paolo Pesenti

  We develop a five-region version (Canada, an oil exporter, the United States, emerging Asia and Japan plus the euro area) of the Global Economy Model (GEM) encompassing production and trade of crude oil, and use it to study the international transmission mechanism of shocks that drive oil prices.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, Inflation and prices, International topics JEL Code(s): E, E6, E66, F, F3, F32, F4, F47

• Domestic versus External Borrowing and Fiscal Policy in Emerging Markets

  Staff Working Paper 2007-33 Garima Vasishtha

  Domestic public debt issued by emerging markets has risen significantly relative to international debt in recent years. Some recent empirical evidence also suggests that sovereigns have defaulted differentially on debt held by domestic and external creditors.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Debt management, International topics JEL Code(s): F, F3, F30, H, H2, H21, H6, H63