October 3, 2006 A New Effective Exchange Rate Index for the Canadian Dollar Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2006 Janone Ong An effective exchange rate is a measure of the value of a country's currency vis-à-vis the currencies of its most important trading partners. The Bank of Canada has created a new Canadian-dollar effective exchange rate index (CERI) to replace the C-6 index that it currently uses. The CERI uses multilateral trade weights published by the International Monetary Fund and includes the six currencies of countries or economic zones with the largest share of Canada's international trade. As such, it better reflects the recent changes in Canada's trade profile, including the rise in the importance of China and Mexico and the relative decline in importance of Europe and Japan in Canada's international trade. The author describes the methodology and construction of the new index and reviews the advantages it offers over the C-6, particularly the use of multilateral trade weights, the inclusion of trade in services, and the use of more recent trade data. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rates, Financial markets, Monetary and financial indicators
Endogenous Borrowing Constraints and Consumption Volatility in a Small Open Economy Staff Working Paper 2006-37 Carlos De Resende Consumption volatility relative to output volatility is consistently higher in emerging economies than in developed economies. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): International topics JEL Code(s): F, F3, F32, F34, F4, F41
Credit in a Tiered Payments System Staff Working Paper 2006-36 Alexandra Lai, Nikil Chande, Sean O'Connor Payments systems are typically characterized by some degree of tiering, with upstream firms (clearing agents) providing settlement accounts to downstream institutions that wish to clear and settle payments indirectly in these systems (indirect clearers). Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Market structure and pricing, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, L, L1, L12, L13, L2, L22
September 13, 2006 Weathering Economic Shocks: The Importance of Flexibility Remarks Paul Jenkins Vancouver Board of Trade Vancouver, British Columbia First, I should explain what I mean by flexibility. As most of you are surely aware, the Bank of Canada has been openly discussing the importance of promoting policies that support economic efficiency, including financial system efficiency. Efficiency refers to the allocation of scarce economic resources to the most productive uses, in a cost-effective way. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
September 8, 2006 Dynamic Models Useful for Policy Making Conference held on 8 and 9 September 2006 (papers in unedited, electronic format only) Content Type(s): Conferences and workshops
September 7, 2006 Net Position Reports - Formal Recommendation from the Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada announced today that it has sent the following letter to the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices
September 6, 2006 Bank of Canada keeps target for the overnight rate at 4 1/4 per cent Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 4 1/4 per cent. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
Survey of Price-Setting Behaviour of Canadian Companies Staff Working Paper 2006-35 David Amirault, Carolyn Kwan, Gordon Wilkinson In many mainstream macroeconomic models, sticky prices play an important role in explaining the effects of monetary policy on the economy. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, E, E3, E30, L, L1, L11
The Macroeconomic Effects of Non-Zero Trend Inflation Staff Working Paper 2006-34 Robert Amano, Steve Ambler, Nooman Rebei The authors study the macroeconomic effects of non-zero trend inflation in a simple dynamic stochastic general-equilibrium model with sticky prices. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Economic models, Inflation and prices, Inflation targets JEL Code(s): E, E2, E24, E3, E32
Are Canadian Banks Efficient? A Canada–U.S. Comparison Staff Working Paper 2006-33 Jason Allen, Walter Engert, Ying Liu The authors compare the efficiency of Canada's largest banks with U.S. commercial banks over the past 20 years. Efficiency is measured in three ways. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial institutions JEL Code(s): C, C3, C33, D, D2, D24, G, G2, G21