A Macroprudential Theory of Foreign Reserve Accumulation Staff Working Paper 2019-43 Fernando Arce, Julien Bengui, Javier Bianchi This paper proposes a theory of foreign reserves as macroprudential policy. We study an open-economy model of financial crises in which pecuniary externalities lead to overborrowing, and show that by accumulating international reserves, the government can achieve the constrained-efficient allocation. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Balance of payments and components, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Foreign reserves management, International financial markets JEL Code(s): D, D5, D52, D6, D62, F, F3, F34
Amazon Effects in Canadian Online Retail Firm-Product-Level Data Staff Working Paper 2019-42 Alex Chernoff I use firm-product-level data for Canadian online retailers to study how product scope (the average number of product categories per firm) evolved from 1999 to 2012. During this period, product scope dropped monotonically from 59 to 5 product categories. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Firm dynamics, Service sector JEL Code(s): D, D2, D22, L, L1, L11, L8, L81
Trade Flows and Exchange Rates: Importers, Exporters and Products Staff Working Paper 2019-41 Michael Devereux, Wei Dong, Ben Tomlin Using highly disaggregated transaction-level trade data, we document the importance of new firm-level trade partner relationships and the addition of new products to existing relationships in driving aggregate trade flows. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rates, Firm dynamics, International topics JEL Code(s): F, F1, F4
September 30, 2019 Research Update - September 2019 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
The Economics of Cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin and Beyond Staff Working Paper 2019-40 Jonathan Chiu, Thorsten Koeppl Since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009, over 2,000 cryptocurrencies have been issued. We evaluate how well a cryptocurrency functions as a payment system. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Digital currencies and fintech, Monetary policy, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5, L, L5
September 27, 2019 Joint Macroeconomic Workshop in Tokyo The Bank of Canada, together with the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, held the first joint workshop on macroeconomic issues for central banks. Participants discussed household inequality, labour-market dynamics, and monetary and fiscal policy.