Reaching for yield or resiliency? Explaining the shift in Canadian pension plan portfolios Staff analytical note 2021-20 Sébastien Betermier, Nicholas Byrne, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Hayden Ford, Jason Ho, Chelsea Mitchell “Reach for yield”—This is the commonly heard explanation for why pension plans shift their portfolios toward alternative assets. But we show that the new portfolios also hold more bonds, offer lower average returns and produce smaller and less volatile solvency deficits. These shifts are part of a broader strategy to reduce solvency risk. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): G, G1, G11 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk
Centralizing Over-the-Counter Markets? Staff working paper 2021-39 Jason Allen, Milena Wittwer Would a shift in trading in fixed-income markets—from over the counter (bilateral trading) to a centralized electronic platform—improve welfare? We use trade-level data on the secondary market for Government of Canada debt to answer this question. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, D47, G, G1, G10, G2, G20, L, L1, L10 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Market structure, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation
Stressed but not Helpless: Strategic Behaviour of Banks Under Adverse Market Conditions Staff working paper 2021-35 Grzegorz Halaj, Sofia Priazhkina Our stress-testing tool considers banks under stress that can strategically manage their balance sheets. Using confidential Canadian supervisory data, we assess whether bank behaviour to maximize shareholder value can amplify a hypothetical stress scenario. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C6, C63, C7, C72, G, G2, G21 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy tools and implementation
The Side Effects of Safe Asset Creation Staff working paper 2021-34 Sushant Acharya, Keshav Dogra The secular decline in real interest rates has created a challenge for monetary policy, now confronting the zero lower bound more often. An increase in the supply of safe assets reduces downward pressure on the natural interest rate. This allows monetary policy to reach price stability and full employment, but not without cost—permanently lower investment. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E3, E4, E5, G, G1, H, H6 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy tools and implementation
BoC–BoE Sovereign Default Database: What’s new in 2021? Staff analytical note 2021-15 David Beers, Elliot Jones, Zacharie Quiviger, John Walsh The BoC–BoE database of sovereign debt defaults, published and updated annually by the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, provides comprehensive estimates of stocks of government obligations in default. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): F, F3, F34, G, G1, G10, G14, G15 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, International markets and currencies, Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk
Analyzing supply and demand for business loans using microdata from the Senior Loan Officer Survey Staff analytical note 2021-13 Dylan Hogg Both supply and demand factors help determine the level of business lending in the economy, but most data show only their combined effect on prices and quantities. Using the Bank of Canada’s Senior Loan Officer Survey microdata on financial institutions’ lending conditions and demand, we separate supply from demand effects. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D2, D22, G, G0, G01, G2 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Household and business credit
ToTEM III: The Bank of Canada’s Main DSGE Model for Projection and Policy Analysis Technical report No. 119 Paul Corrigan, Hélène Desgagnés, José Dorich, Vadym Lepetyuk, Wataru Miyamoto, Yang Zhang ToTEM III is the most recent generation of the Bank of Canada’s main dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for projection and policy analysis. The model helps Bank staff tell clear and coherent stories about the Canadian economy’s current state and future evolution. Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports JEL Code(s): E, E1, E17, E2, E20, E3, E30, E4, E40, E5, E50, E6, E62, E65, F, F4, F40, F41, G, G5, G51 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Real economy and forecasting
Bank Runs, Bank Competition and Opacity Staff working paper 2021-30 Toni Ahnert, David Martinez-Miera How is the stability of the financial sector affected by competition in the deposit market and by decisions banks make about transparency? We find that policies that aim to increase bank competition lead to higher bank deposit rates, increasing both withdrawal incentives and instability. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G2, G21 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market structure, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk, Financial system regulation and oversight
A New Measure of Monetary Policy Shocks Staff working paper 2021-29 Xu Zhang Combining various high frequency financial data with central bank projections, I construct a new measure of monetary policy shocks not predictable by the public information preceding a central bank’s announcements. I then study the causal effects of monetary policy on the macro economy. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E5, G, G0 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Consumer Cash Withdrawal Behaviour: Branch Networks and Online Financial Innovation Staff working paper 2021-28 Heng Chen, Matthew Strathearn, Marcel Voia The physical network of bank branches is important in how consumers manage their cash holdings. This paper estimates how consumer withdrawal behaviour responds to the distance they must travel to their branch. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, R, R2, R22 Research Theme(s): Money and payments, Cash and bank notes, Digital assets and fintech