May 17, 2007 The Bank of Canada's Target for the Overnight Interest Rate: Policy Implementation Framework The Bank of Canada has released The Bank of Canada's Target for the Overnight Interest Rate: Policy Implementation Framework. This document outlines the framework within which the Bank implements monetary policy, including the target for the overnight interest rate, the operating band, open market buyback operations, and settlement balances. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
May 15, 2007 Government Borrowers Forum Remarks David Dodge Government Borrowers Forum Montréal, Quebec We are all interested in seeing the continued development of international capital markets, as part of the advancement of a market-based, liberalized trade and financial regime. Let's remember that an open, market-based economic system is increasingly vital, in a world where change is driven by the development of new technologies and modes of competition; and where adjustments are occurring all the time. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
Should Central Banks Adjust Their Target Horizons in Response to House-Price Bubbles? Staff Discussion Paper 2007-4 Meenakshi Basant Roi, Rhys R. Mendes The authors investigate the implications of house-price bubbles for the optimal inflation-target horizon using a dynamic general-equilibrium model with credit frictions, house-price bubbles, and small open-economy features. They find that, given the distribution of shocks and inflation persistence over the past 25 years, the optimal target horizon for Canada tends to be at the lower […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Central bank research, Credit and credit aggregates, Economic models, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E44, E5, E52, E58, E6, E61
Vulnerabilities in Defined-Benefit Pension Plans Staff Discussion Paper 2007-3 Jack Selody An effective pension system enhances economic and financial efficiency. A majority of pension plans in Canada are defined-benefit (DB) plans, but DB plans are under stress from increasing longevity, low long-term interest rates, and the shrinking equity premium. DB plans are vulnerable to such shocks because they are complex financial vehicles, with interdependencies not fully […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions JEL Code(s): G, G2, G23
May 10, 2007 Spring 2007 Consultations Document – Auction Plan for Real Return Bonds In April 2007, officials from the Department of Finance and the Bank of Canada sought the views of institutional investors, government securities distributors, and other interested parties regarding the auction plan for Real Return Bonds (RRBs). The consultations were undertaken in view of the announcement, in the Debt Management Strategy for 2007/08, of an increase in the issuance of RRBs to slightly over $2 billion. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
May 10, 2007 A Sound Pension System – Handling Risk Appropriately Remarks David Dodge Conference Board of Canada 2007 Pensions Summit Toronto, Ontario It goes without saying that a sound system of private pensions is important from the perspective of pensioners who rely on a given plan for their retirement income. For firms, a pension plan can help to attract and retain staff, and so the business community also counts on a sound pension system. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
May 10, 2007 Governor Dodge Discusses Need to Support Canada's Private Pension System Media Relations Toronto, Ontario Policy-makers need to make sure that Canada's system of private pensions provides the right incentives for risk to be managed appropriately, Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said today. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
Implications of New Accounting Standards for the Bank of Canada's Balance Sheet Staff Discussion Paper 2007-2 Mark Zelmer, Grahame Johnson The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) has implemented new accounting standards for the valuation and reporting of financial instruments. They are effective for the Bank of Canada in 2007. As a result of these changes, the Bank has begun valuing its holdings of Government of Canada treasury bills on a fair value basis and […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, M, M4
May 4, 2007 The Importance of Appropriate Exchange Rate Regimes Remarks David Dodge ACI - The Financial Markets Association Montréal, Quebec Why do I think that such an order is so important? Well, in part it's because history has helped to demonstrate its virtues. But it's also extremely important to bear in mind the context, that is, the world in which we live today. This is a world in which adjustment is perpetual, where change is driven by the development of new technologies, where sectors and nations continually attempt to secure some new advantage. And in this world, price signals from markets help us to understand what adjustments are needed. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
Oil Price Movements and the Global Economy: A Model-Based Assessment Staff Working Paper 2007-34 Selim Elekdag, René Lalonde, Douglas Laxton, Dirk Muir, Paolo Pesenti We develop a five-region version (Canada, an oil exporter, the United States, emerging Asia and Japan plus the euro area) of the Global Economy Model (GEM) encompassing production and trade of crude oil, and use it to study the international transmission mechanism of shocks that drive oil prices. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, Inflation and prices, International topics JEL Code(s): E, E6, E66, F, F3, F32, F4, F47