Staff research

• December 30, 2016

  Research Update - December 2016

  This monthly newsletter features the latest research publications by Bank of Canada economists including external publications and working papers published on the Bank of Canada’s website.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Research newsletters

• What Fed Funds Futures Tell Us About Monetary Policy Uncertainty

  Staff Working Paper 2016-61 Jean-Sébastien Fontaine

  The uncertainty around future changes to the Federal Reserve target rate varies over time. In our results, the main driver of uncertainty is a “path” factor signaling information about future policy actions, which is filtered from federal funds futures data.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Asset pricing, Financial markets, Interest rates JEL Code(s): E, E4, E43, E44, E47, G, G1, G12, G13

• Non-Bank Investors and Loan Renegotiations

  Staff Working Paper 2016-60 Teodora Paligorova, João Santos

  We document that the structure of syndicates affects loan renegotiations. Lead banks with large retained shares have positive effects on renegotiations. In contrast, more diverse syndicates deter renegotiations, but only for credit lines.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, G23

• Monetary Policy, Private Debt and Financial Stability Risks

  Staff Working Paper 2016-59 Gregory Bauer, Eleonora Granziera

  Can monetary policy be used to promote financial stability? We answer this question by estimating the impact of a monetary policy shock on private-sector leverage and the likelihood of a financial crisis. Impulse responses obtained from a panel VAR model of 18 advanced countries suggest that the debt-to-GDP ratio rises in the short run following an unexpected tightening in monetary policy.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Credit and credit aggregates, Financial stability, Monetary policy, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): C, C2, C21, C23, E, E5, E52, E58

• Equity Option-Implied Probability of Default and Equity Recovery Rate

  Staff Working Paper 2016-58 Bo Young Chang, Greg Orosi

  There is a close link between prices of equity options and the default probability of a firm. We show that in the presence of positive expected equity recovery, standard methods that assume zero equity recovery at default misestimate the option-implied default probability.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Asset pricing, Financial markets, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G1, G13, G3, G33

• Options Decimalization

  Staff Working Paper 2016-57 Faith Chin, Corey Garriott

  We document the outcome of an options decimalization pilot on Canada’s derivatives exchange. Decimalization improves measures of liquidity and price efficiency. The impact differs by the moneyness of an option and is greatest for out-of-the-money options.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G1, G14, G2, G20, L, L1, L10

• Bank Screening Heterogeneity

  Staff Working Paper 2016-56 Thibaut Duprey

  Production efficiency and financial stability do not necessarily go hand in hand. With heterogeneity in banks’ abilities to screen borrowers, the market for loans becomes segmented and a self-competition mechanism arises. When heterogeneity increases, the intensive and extensive margins have opposite effects.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G1, G14, G2, G21, L, L1, L13

• Quantitative Easing in a Small Open Economy: An International Portfolio Balancing Approach

  Staff Working Paper 2016-55 Serdar Kabaca

  This paper studies the effects of quantitative easing (QE) in a small open economy dynamic stochastic general-equilibrium model with international portfolio balancing. Portfolios are classified as imperfectly substitutable short-term and long-term subportfolios, each including domestic and foreign bonds.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): International topics, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, F, F4, F41

• Producer Heterogeneity, Value-Added, and International Trade

  Staff Working Paper 2016-54 Patrick Alexander

  Standard new trade models depict producers as heterogeneous in total factor productivity. In this paper, I adapt the Eaton and Kortum (2002) model of international trade to incorporate tradable intermediate goods and producer heterogeneity in value-added productivity.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, International topics, Productivity, Trade integration JEL Code(s): F, F1, F11, F12, F14

• Comparing Forward Guidance and Neo-Fisherianism as Strategies for Escaping Liquidity Traps

  Staff Analytical Note 2016-16 Robert Amano, Thomas J. Carter, Rhys R. Mendes

  What path should policy-makers select for the nominal rate when faced with a liquidity trap during which the effective lower bound binds?

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Central bank research, Economic models, Inflation and prices, Interest rates, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5