What cured the TSX Equity index after COVID-19? Staff Analytical Note 2021-3 Guillaume Ouellet Leblanc, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Ryan Shotlander The TSX index rose by 9.5 percent in November 2020, adding large gains to an already sharp V-shaped recovery. The economic outlook improved at that time as well. We ask whether the stock market gains since last autumn are due to improving forecasts of firms’ earnings. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Asset pricing, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial markets JEL Code(s): G, G1, G12, G14
March 23, 2021 Bank of Canada announces the discontinuation of market functioning programs introduced during COVID-19 As overall financial market conditions continue to improve in Canada, use of the Bank of Canada’s programs that were introduced in 2020 in response to the shock from COVID-19 to support the functioning of key Canadian financial markets, has declined significantly. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices Source(s): Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility, Commercial Paper Purchase Program, Contingent Term Repo Facility, Corporate Bond Purchase Program, Provincial Bond Purchase Program, Provincial Money Market Purchase Program, Term repo operations
March 23, 2021 Supporting markets in tough times Speech summary Toni Gravelle CFA Society Toronto Toronto, Ontario Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle talks about actions the Bank of Canada took to make sure financial markets could work smoothly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also discusses the Bank’s plans to discontinue some programs. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Lender of last resort, Monetary policy
Occasionally Binding Constraints in Large Models: A Review of Solution Methods Staff Discussion Paper 2021-5 Jonathan Swarbrick Solving macroeconomic models is difficult. One challenge is the occasionally binding constraint of the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates. This paper reviews various ways to solve models that include this feature. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Economic models JEL Code(s): C, C6
Non-bank financial intermediation in Canada: a pulse check Staff Analytical Note 2021-2 Rohan Arora, Guillaume Bédard-Pagé, Philippe Besnier, Hayden Ford, Alan Walsh The Canadian non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector saw strong growth in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, COVID‑19 caused a financial shock. We provide a preliminary analysis on the impact of COVID‑19 on the sector as well as an update on its growth. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G2, G20, G23
March 23, 2021 Market stress relief: The role of the Bank of Canada’s balance sheet Remarks (delivered virtually) Toni Gravelle CFA Society Toronto Toronto, Ontario Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle discusses actions taken by the Bank of Canada to respond to market-wide stresses during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Bank’s role as lender of last resort in the financial system. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial system regulation and policies, Lender of last resort, Monetary policy
March 22, 2021 Operational details for upcoming secondary market purchases of Government of Canada securities (March 29-April 9) As previously announced, the Bank of Canada (the Bank) launched on April 1, 2020 a program to purchase Government of Canada securities in the secondary market – the Government Bond Purchase Program (GBPP). Content Type(s): Press, Market notices Source(s): Government of Canada Bond Purchase Program
Secular Economic Changes and Bond Yields Staff Working Paper 2021-14 Bruno Feunou, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine We investigate the economic forces behind the secular decline in bond yields. Before the anchoring of inflation in the mid-1990s, nominal shocks drove inflation, output and bond yields. Afterward, the impacts of nominal shocks were much less significant. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Asset pricing, Econometric and statistical methods, Interest rates, Monetary policy and uncertainty, Potential output JEL Code(s): E, E4, E43, G, G1, G12
Debt-Relief Programs and Money Left on the Table: Evidence from Canada's Response to COVID-19 Staff Working Paper 2021-13 Jason Allen, Robert Clark, Shaoteng Li, Nicolas Vincent During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian financial institutions offered debt-relief programs to help borrowers cope with job losses and economic insecurity. We consider the low take-up rates for these programs and suggest that to be effective, such programs must be visible and easy to use. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Credit and credit aggregates, Debt management JEL Code(s): G, G3, G31, H, H5