December 15, 2016 Monitoring Shadow Banking in Canada: A Hybrid Approach Financial System Review - December 2016 Bo Young Chang, Gitanjali Kumar, André Usche, Michael Januska In Monitoring Shadow Banking in Canada: A Hybrid Approach, Bo Young Chang, Michael Januska, Gitanjali Kumar and André Usche discuss how lending that occurs outside the traditional banking system provides benefits to the economy but must be monitored carefully for potential financial sector vulnerabilities. They describe how the Bank defines and measures shadow banking and how it assesses vulnerabilities in the sector, using an approach that examines both markets and entities. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G2, G23
June 9, 2016 Securities Financing and Bond Market Liquidity Financial System Review - June 2016 Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Corey Garriott, Kyle Gray This report investigates how the markets for repurchase agreements and securities-lending agreements support the liquidity of Canadian bond markets. It also discusses how recent regulatory changes, as well as low interest rates and settlement failures, are potentially affecting securities-financing markets and, as a result, bond market liquidity. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G1, G12, G2
June 9, 2016 Large Canadian Public Pension Funds: A Financial System Perspective Financial System Review - June 2016 Guillaume Bédard-Pagé, Annick Demers, Eric Tuer, Miville Tremblay The authors review the eight largest public pension funds in Canada. These funds are an important source of retirement income for Canadians. They are also significant investors, with net assets under management of over $1 trillion. The authors outline the investment strategies of the funds and how they interact with financial institutions and participate in financial markets. They also discuss the ways in which the funds’ risk-management frameworks could contribute to financial system stability and how they minimize potential vulnerabilities. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, International financial markets JEL Code(s): G, G1, G11, G2, G23
December 15, 2015 Indebted Households and Potential Vulnerabilities for the Canadian Financial System: A Microdata Analysis Financial System Review - December 2015 Gino Cateau, Tom Roberts, Jie Zhou Over the past decade, an increasing proportion of households in Canada have become highly indebted relative to their income. These highly indebted households now hold one-fifth of total Canadian household debt.Simulations suggest that this greater degree of household indebtedness could exacerbate the impact of shocks to income and interest rates relative to the pre-crisis period. However, an assessment of the vulnerability of the Canadian financial system should, among other factors, account for the ability of Canadian financial institutions to withstand losses from the household sector. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Credit and credit aggregates, Financial stability, Housing, Recent economic and financial developments JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, E, E5, E51
December 15, 2015 Residential Mortgage Securitization in Canada: A Review Financial System Review - December 2015 Adi Mordel Residential mortgage securitization plays an important role in the Canadian system of housing finance, especially given the rising share of government-supported (i.e., public) securitization over the past 15 years. Mordel and Stephens analyze the evolution of two types of mortgage securitization in Canada— private and public — focusing in particular on the underlying public policy and economic benefits of the latter. They review the potential implications of the extent of public securitization and conclude with a discussion of policies that could be considered to reinvigorate private securitization in Canada. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Housing JEL Code(s): G, G2, G28
June 11, 2015 Assessing Vulnerabilities in the Canadian Financial System Financial System Review - June 2015 Ian Christensen, Gitanjali Kumar, Césaire Meh, Lorie Zorn The authors present the four common cyclical vulnerabilities that appear in financial systems, providing examples of qualitative and quantitative indicators used to monitor these vulnerabilities across different sectors. They also discuss other inputs to the vulnerability assessment and to the internal process used at the Bank of Canada for identifying, evaluating and communicating vulnerabilities and risks, and highlight some of the key challenges in assessing financial system vulnerabilities and risks. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G1, G10, G2, G20
June 11, 2015 Canadian Open-End Mutual Funds: An Assessment of Potential Vulnerabilities Financial System Review - June 2015 Sandra Ramirez, Jesus Sierra, Jonathan Witmer The authors examine the liquidity and leverage characteristics of Canadian long-term, open-end mutual funds in terms of their potential systemic effects on the Canadian mutual fund sector and on the Canadian financial system more broadly. In their overall assessment of this sector, they consider the regulation, market size and ownership structure of mutual funds in Canada and provide observations about the industry globally. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets JEL Code(s): G, G2, G23, G28
December 10, 2014 Exchange-Traded Funds: Evolution of Benefits, Vulnerabilities and Risks Financial System Review - December 2014 Ian Foucher, Kyle Gray Ian Foucher and Kyle Gray explain the different types of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which present both benefits and risks for investors. They discuss ways in which the risk characteristics of certain ETF products could have broader implications for the financial system, and describe the evolution of ETF market structure and regulation in different jurisdictions as authorities try to mitigate risks related to ETFs. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G1, G14, G18, G2, G20
December 10, 2014 Cyber Security: Protecting the Resilience of Canada’s Financial System Financial System Review - December 2014 Harold Gallagher, Wade McMahon, Ron Morrow Harold Gallagher, Wade McMahon and Ron Morrow examine the various sources of cyber attacks and their potential for systemic risk. Against this background, the report highlights efforts being made to protect against cyber-security threats, including individual and collective actions by financial institutions and financial market infrastructures, as well as initiatives by international organizations, regulatory authorities and governments. The authors then describe the coordination, under the Joint Operational Resilience Management program, of private and public sector actions in Canada for managing and testing capabilities during severe operational events such as cyber attacks. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): G, G2, G20, G23, G28
June 12, 2014 Stress Testing the Canadian Banking System: A System-Wide Approach Financial System Review - June 2014 Kartik Anand, Guillaume Bédard-Pagé, Virginie Traclet Stress testing is an important tool used by financial authorities and entities around the world to evaluate potential risks to the financial system. Kartik Anand, Guillaume Bédard-Pagé and Virginie Traclet discuss different stress-testing approaches, with emphasis on the innovative and analytically rigorous model developed by the Bank of Canada: the MacroFinancial Risk Assessment Framework (MFRAF). They also present the stress-test results obtained in the context of the 2013 Canada Financial Sector Assessment Program led by the International Monetary Fund, including the important contributions made by the use of MFRAF in the exercise. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability JEL Code(s): C, C6, C63, G, G0, G01, G2, G21