Cameron MacDonald

Principal Economist

Financial Intermediation Risk Evaluation
Financial Stability
  • A. (Economics), University of Toronto (2012)
  • B.A. Hons. (Economics), University of Alberta (2011)

Bio

Cameron MacDonald is a Principal Economist in the Financial Stability Department at the Bank of Canada. He is involved in the assessment of risks and vulnerabilities associated with financial institutions such as banks and life insurers. Other interests include stress testing, macroprudential policy, and mortgage finance. He holds an MA in economics from the University of Toronto.

Staff analytical notes

Potential benefits and key risks of fiat-referenced cryptoassets

Staff Analytical Note 2022-20 Hugh Ding, Natasha Khan, Bena Lands, Cameron MacDonald, Laura Zhao
Cryptoassets that reference a national currency (commonly known as stablecoins) aim to peg their value to the reference currency and typically use a reserve of traditional financial assets to maintain the peg. The market value of these fiat-referenced cryptoassets has grown more than thirtyfold between early 2020 and mid-2022. We explore some of their potential benefits and key risks.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, G, G2, G28, L, O, O3

Assessing the Resilience of the Canadian Banking System

Staff Analytical Note 2019-16 Charles Gaa, Xuezhi Liu, Cameron MacDonald, Xiangjin Shen
The stability of the Canadian financial system, as well as its ability to support the Canadian economy, depends on the ability of financial institutions to absorb and manage major shocks. This is especially true for large banks, which perform services essential to the Canadian economy.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability JEL Code(s): C, C6, C63, E, E2, E27, E3, E37, E4, E44, G, G0, G01, G2, G21

Modelling the Macrofinancial Effects of a House Price Correction in Canada

Staff Analytical Note 2018-36 Thibaut Duprey, Xuezhi Liu, Cameron MacDonald, Maarten van Oordt, Sofia Priazhkina, Xiangjin Shen, Joshua Slive
We use a suite of risk-assessment models to examine the possible impact of a hypothetical house price correction, centred in the Toronto and Vancouver areas. We also assume financial stress significantly amplifies the macroeconomic impact of the house price decline.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, Housing JEL Code(s): E, E2, E27, E3, E37, E4, E44, G, G2, G21

Interest Rate and Renewal Risk for Mortgages

Staff Analytical Note 2018-18 Olga Bilyk, Cameron MacDonald, Brian Peterson
In this note, we explore two types of risk faced by holders of mortgages and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) in the context of rising interest rates: interest rate risk and renewal risk.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Credit and credit aggregates, Financial institutions, Interest rates, Recent economic and financial developments JEL Code(s): D, D1, E, E4, E5, G, G2, G21, G28

Implementing Market-Based Indicators to Monitor Vulnerabilities of Financial Institutions

Staff Analytical Note 2016-5 Cameron MacDonald, Maarten van Oordt, Robin Scott
This note introduces several market-based indicators and examines how they can further inform the Bank of Canada’s vulnerability assessment of Canadian financial institutions. Market-based indicators of leverage suggest that the solvency risk for major Canadian banks has increased since the beginning of the oil-price correction in the second half of 2014.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G1, G10, G2, G21

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Staff discussion papers

Stablecoins and Their Risks to Financial Stability

Staff Discussion Paper 2022-20 Cameron MacDonald, Laura Zhao
What risks could stablecoins pose to the financial system? We argue that the stabilization mechanisms of stablecoins give rise to the risk of confidence runs, which can propagate to broader cryptoasset markets and the traditional financial sector. We also argue that stablecoins can contribute to financial stability risks by facilitating the buildup of leverage and liquidity mismatch in decentralized finance. Such risks cannot be addressed by ensuring the price stability of stablecoins alone. Finally, we explore the potential implications of stablecoins for the current system of bank-intermediated credit and for monetary policy.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E44, E5, E58, G, G2, G23

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Technical reports

The Framework for Risk Identification and Assessment

Technical Report No. 113 Cameron MacDonald, Virginie Traclet
Risk assessment models are an important component of the Bank’s analytical tool kit for assessing the resilience of the financial system. We describe the Framework for Risk Identification and Assessment (FRIDA), a suite of models developed at the Bank of Canada to quantify the impact of financial stability risks to the broader economy and a range of financial system participants (households, businesses and banks).
Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Economic models, Financial institutions, Financial stability, Housing JEL Code(s): C, C3, C5, C6, C7, D, D1, E, E0, E00, E2, E27, E3, E37, E4, E47, G, G0, G2, G21

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Bank publications

Financial System Hub articles

November 14, 2018

Financial System Resilience and House Price Corrections

Thibaut Duprey, Xuezhi Liu, Cameron MacDonald, Maarten van Oordt, Sofia Priazhkina, Xiangjin Shen, Joshua Slive, Virginie Traclet
We use models to better understand and assess how risks could affect the financial system. In our hypothetical scenario, a house price correction and elevated financial stress weigh on the economy. An increased number of households and businesses have difficulty repaying loans. Nonetheless, the large banks remain resilient.
Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Hub articles

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Financial System Review articles

June 8, 2017

Using Market-Based Indicators to Assess Banking System Resilience

Financial System Review - June 2017 Cameron MacDonald, Maarten van Oordt
This report reviews the use of quantitative tools to gauge market participants’ assessment of banking system resilience. These measures complement traditional balance-sheet metrics and suggest that markets consider large Canadian banks to be better placed to weather adverse shocks than banks in other advanced economies. Compared with regulatory capital ratios, however, the measures suggest less improvement in banking system resilience since the pre-crisis period.
Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G1, G10, G2, G21
December 15, 2016

The Rise of Mortgage Finance Companies in Canada: Benefits and Vulnerabilities

Financial System Review - December 2016 Donald Coletti, Marc-André Gosselin, Cameron MacDonald

The Rise of Mortgage Finance Companies in Canada: Benefits and Vulnerabilities, by Don Coletti, Marc-André Gosselin and Cameron MacDonald, examines the increased importance of mortgage finance companies (MFCs) in the Canadian mortgage market. The authors discuss the MFC business model, highlighting MFCs’ relationship with mortgage brokers and banks, as well as the benefits they bring to Canadian borrowers. The authors conclude with a discussion of the impact of MFCs on financial system vulnerabilities.
Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G2, G23

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