November 15, 1999 Markets for Government of Canada Securities in the 1990s: Liquidity and Cross-Country Comparisons Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1999 Toni Gravelle In this article, the author reviews the factors behind the recent evolution of liquidity in the market for Government of Canada (GoC) securities. He finds that liquidity has been supported by changes in the structure of the market, notably the introduction and increasing size of benchmark bond issues. He also notes that while the GoC bond market has generally benefited from changes in market structure, liquidity in the treasury bill market has decreased since the mid-1990s, largely because of the declining supply of these securities. This article also presents some comparisons of liquidity in the government securities markets of other industrialized countries and finds that liquidity in the Canadian market appears to compare favourably with all but the large U.S. Treasury market. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Financial markets
Pricing Interest Rate Derivatives in a Non-Parametric Two-Factor Term-Structure Model Staff Working Paper 1999-19 John Knight, Fuchun Li, Mingwei Yuan Diffusion functions in term-structure models are measures of uncertainty about future price movements and are directly related to the risk associated with holding financial securities. Correct specification of diffusion functions is crucial in pricing options and other derivative securities. In contrast to the standard parametric two-factor models, we propose a non-parametric two-factor term-structure model that […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Market structure and pricing JEL Code(s): C, C1, C14, C2, C22, G, G1, G13
November 14, 1999 Real Exchange Rate Indexes for the Canadian Dollar Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1999 Robert Lafrance, Pierre St-Amant In this article, the authors explain the methodology used to construct real exchange rate (RER) indexes. They also compare and assess various Canadian RER indexes from both an empirical and conceptual standpoint. The authors conclude that both theory and empirical evidence suggest that the best RER indexes are those based on unit labour costs. They note, however, that, for practical reasons, policy-makers should also consider RER indexes based on prices when formulating monetary policy. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rates
Estimating One-Factor Models of Short-Term Interest Rates Staff Working Paper 1999-18 Des Mc Manus, David Watt There currently exists in the literature several continuous-time one-factor models for short-term interest rates. This paper considers a wide range of these models that are nested into one general model. These models are approximated using both a discrete-time model and a model that accounts for aggregation effects over time, and are estimated by both the […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Interest rates JEL Code(s): C, C5, C52, G, G1, G10
November 2, 1999 The Challenges for Canadian Monetary Policy in the Year 2000 Remarks Gordon Thiessen the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Monetary policy actions take a relatively long time to affect the economy and inflation—anywhere between 12 to 24 months. Because of this, central banks must always look ahead and must put in place today the monetary conditions that are needed to help keep the economy on a sustainable path down the road. By 'sustainable' I mean a situation where economic growth and job creation are not at risk from rising inflation. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
November 2, 1999 Bank of Canada Governor speaks to the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce Media Relations Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island The Bank of Canada expects a positive economic picture going into next year, Bank of Canada Governor Gordon Thiessen told the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce today. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
November 1, 1999 Money, Monetary Policy, and Transmission Mechanisms Proceedings of a conference held by the Bank of Canada, November 1999 (proceedings volume, available in electronic format only) Content Type(s): Conferences and workshops
The Regulation of Central Securities Depositories and the Linkages between CSDs and Large-Value Payment Systems Technical Report No. 87 Charles Freedman This paper first describes the Bank of Canada's approach to the design of large-value clearing and settlement systems. It then examines the way the Bank has operated under the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act, passed by Parliament in July 1996. Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): G, G2, G20
Canada's Exchange Rate Regime and North American Economic Integration: The Role of Risk-Sharing Mechanisms Staff Working Paper 1999-17 Zahir Antia, Ramdane Djoudad, Pierre St-Amant Our contribution in this paper is threefold. First, we survey the empirical literature on consumption smoothing mechanisms of regional economic shocks. Second, building on the work of Asdrubali et al. (1996), we present evidence on the role played by various smoothing mechanisms for specific economic shocks affecting Canadian provinces. Third, we assess whether smoothing mechanisms […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes, Exchange rates JEL Code(s): F, F3, F33, F36, G, G1, G15
Optimal Currency Areas: A Review of the Recent Literature Staff Working Paper 1999-16 Robert Lafrance, Pierre St-Amant This paper surveys the recent literature on optimal currency areas (OCAs). Topics that are covered include theoretical developments in the context of general-equilibrium models and empirical work on shocks asymmetry and adjustment mechanisms. Issues relating to the endogeneity of OCA criteria, the role of exchange rate flexibility in promoting greater macroeconomic stability, and the links […] Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, F, F3, F33