May 19, 2011 Unconventional Monetary Policy: The International Experience with Central Bank Asset Purchases Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Sharon Kozicki, Lena Suchanek, Eric Santor As part of their policy response to the financial crisis of 2007–09, central banks introduced numerous unprecedented monetary policy measures to provide monetary easing. This article defines and documents these measures, focusing on central bank asset purchases and their impact on central bank balance sheets. It then discusses the challenges of identifying the effects of these measures and explores possible exit strategies. The potential costs of these policies are also analyzed, as well as the broader implications for monetary policy frameworks. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Central bank research, Financial markets, International topics, Monetary policy framework
May 19, 2011 Lessons from the Use of Extraordinary Central Bank Liquidity Facilities Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Stéphane Lavoie, Alex Sebastian, Virginie Traclet The recent crisis was characterized by widespread deterioration in funding conditions, as well as impairment of the mechanism through which liquidity is normally redistributed within the financial system. Central banks responded with extraordinary measures. This article examines the provision of liquidity by central banks during the crisis as they adapted their existing facilities and introduced new ones, while encouraging a return to private markets and mitigating moral hazard. A review of this experience illustrates the importance of clear principles for intervention, a flexible operating framework, and clear communication and co-operation by central banks. By exposing the degree of interdependence of financial institutions and markets, the crisis highlighted the need for reforms aimed at improving the infrastructure supporting core funding markets and the liquidity of individual institutions. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Lender of last resort
May 19, 2011 Central Bank Collateral Policy: Insights from Recent Experience Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Lorie Zorn, Alejandro García The collateral policy of central banks played a critical role during the recent financial crisis, as they worked to bolster liquidity and alleviate the funding pressures facing financial institutions. This article examines central bank collateral policy and discusses three areas in which central banks can use their collateral policy to influence financial market practices: promoting greater transparency for securitized products, improving practices related to credit risk, and reducing procyclicality in the management of market risk. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Payment clearing and settlement systems
The Canadian Debt-Strategy Model: An Overview of the Principal Elements Staff Discussion Paper 2011-3 David Bolder, Simon Deeley The Canadian Debt Strategy Model helps debt managers determine their optimal financing strategy. The model’s code and documentation are available to the public. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Debt management, Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, Fiscal policy JEL Code(s): C, C0, G, G1, G11, G17, H, H6, H63
Financial Factors and Labour Market Fluctuations Staff Working Paper 2011-12 Yahong Zhang What are the effects of financial market imperfections on unemployment and vacancies? Since standard DSGE models do not typically model unemployment, they abstract from this issue. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, Financial markets, Labour markets JEL Code(s): E, E3, E32, E4, E44, J, J6
The Private Equity Premium Puzzle Revisited Staff Working Paper 2011-6 Katya Kartashova In this paper, I extend the results of Moskowitz and Vissing-Jørgensen (2002) on the returns to entrepreneurial investments in the United States. First, following the authors’ methodology I replicate the original findings from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) for the period 1989–1998 and show that the returns to private and public equity are similar. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Interest rates, Recent economic and financial developments JEL Code(s): G, G1, G11, G12, G2, G24, G3, G31, G32
February 17, 2011 Conference Summary: Financial Globalization and Financial Instability Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2010-2011 Scott Hendry The Bank of Canada’s annual conference, held in October 2010, brought together leading researchers from universities and central banks around the world. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Central bank research, Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies
Private Information Flow and Price Discovery in the U.S. Treasury Market Staff Working Paper 2011-5 George Jiang, Ingrid Lo Existing studies show that U.S. Treasury bond price changes are mainly driven by public information shocks, as manifested in macroeconomic news announcements and events. The literature also shows that heterogeneous private information contributes significantly to price discovery for U.S. Treasury securities. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): G, G1, G12, G14
Testing Linear Factor Pricing Models with Large Cross-Sections: A Distribution-Free Approach Staff Working Paper 2010-36 Sermin Gungor, Richard Luger We develop a finite-sample procedure to test the beta-pricing representation of linear factor pricing models that is applicable even if the number of test assets is greater than the length of the time series. Our distribution-free framework leaves open the possibility of unknown forms of non-normalities, heteroskedasticity, time-varying correlations, and even outliers in the asset returns. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, C14, C3, C33, G, G1, G11, G12
Bank Competition and International Financial Integration: Evidence Using a New Index Staff Working Paper 2010-35 Gurnain Pasricha This paper finds a strong empirical link between domestic banking sector competitiveness and de facto international integration. De-facto international integration is measured through a new index of financial integration, which measures, for deviations from covered interest parity, the size of no-arbitrage bands and the speed of arbitrage outside the no-arbitrage band. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, International topics JEL Code(s): F, F3, F32, G, G1, G15, G2, G21