November 23, 2020 Financial stability and the COVID-19 pandemic Remarks (delivered virtually) Toni Gravelle Autorité des marchés financiers Montréal, Quebec Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle provides an assessment of risks to the stability of the Canadian financial system, including risks stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Research Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability, Recent economic and financial developments
Concentration in the market of authorized participants of US fixed-income exchange-traded funds Staff Analytical Note 2020-27 Rohan Arora, Sébastien Betermier, Guillaume Ouellet Leblanc, Adriano Palumbo, Ryan Shotlander We show that a small number of authorized participants (APs) actively create and redeem shares of US-listed fixed-income exchange-traded funds (FI-ETFs). In 2019, three APs performed 82 percent of gross creations and redemptions of FI-ETF shares. In contrast, the group of active APs for equity ETFs was much more diverse. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G1, G2, G20, G23
Outside Investor Access to Top Management: Market Monitoring versus Stock Price Manipulation Staff Working Paper 2020-43 Josef Schroth Should managers be paid in stock options if they provide stock-market participants with information about the firm? This paper studies how firm owners trade off the benefit of stock-price incentives and better-informed market participants against the cost of potential stock-price manipulation. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Economic models, Financial markets, Recent economic and financial developments JEL Code(s): D, D8, D82, D86, G, G1, G14, G3, G32, G34, M, M1, M12, M4, M41
Announcing the Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility: a COVID‑19 event study Staff Analytical Note 2020-23 Rohan Arora, Sermin Gungor, Kaetlynd McRae, Jonathan Witmer The Bank of Canada launched the Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility (BAPF) to ensure that the bankers’ acceptance (BA) market could continue to function well during the financial crisis induced by the COVID‑19 pandemic. We review the impact that the announcement of this facility had on BA yields in the secondary market. We find that BA yield spreads declined by 15 basis points on the day of the announcement and by up to 70 basis points over a longer period. Using an econometric framework, we quantify the effect of the announcement and confirm early assertions presented in the Bank’s 2020 Financial System Review. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G1, G2, G20, G23
Canadian stock market since COVID‑19: Why a V-shaped price recovery? Staff Analytical Note 2020-22 Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Guillaume Ouellet Leblanc, Ryan Shotlander Between February 19 and March 23, 2020, the Canadian stock market plunged due to the severe economic impact of COVID-19. By the end of the summer, the stock market had already recovered a significant portion of its losses, leaving many asking if investors see the economy through rose-coloured glasses. Despite these concerns, we find that current market valuations for companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange align well, on average, with the declines in earning forecasts observed since the start of the year. We also find these market valuations are consistent with the discount rate returning to its pre-pandemic level. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Asset pricing, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Financial markets JEL Code(s): G, G1, G12, G14
On Causal Networks of Financial Firms: Structural Identification via Non-parametric Heteroskedasticity Staff Working Paper 2020-42 Ruben Hipp Banks’ business interactions create a network of relationships that are hidden in the correlations of bank stock returns. But for policy interventions, we need causality to understand how the network changes. Thus, this paper looks for the causal network anticipated by investors. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): C, C1, C3, C32, C5, C58, L, L1, L14
August 25, 2020 Our COVID-19 response: Large-scale asset purchases Paul Beaudry The Bank of Canada has taken many actions to support Canadians since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. These include large-scale asset purchases—buying a substantial amount of government bonds and other financial assets. Our purchases serve two purposes. They help key financial markets work properly, and they can help increase spending in the economy. This leads to more employment and stronger economic growth. Content Type(s): Publications, The Economy, Plain and Simple Research Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Debt management, Financial markets, Financial stability, Inflation and prices, Interest rates, Market structure and pricing, Monetary policy, Monetary policy transmission
The Interplay of Financial Education, Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion and Financial Stability: Any Lessons for the Current Big Tech Era? Staff Working Paper 2020-32 Nicole Jonker, Anneke Kosse The objective of this paper is twofold. First, we assess whether financial education might be a suitable tool to promote the financial inclusion opportunities that big techs provide. Second, we study how this potential financial inclusion could impact financial stability. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Development economics, Digital currencies and fintech, Financial markets, Financial services, Financial stability JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, D9, D91, D92, G, G2, G21, G23, O, O1, O16
What COVID-19 revealed about the resilience of bond funds Staff Analytical Note 2020-18 Guillaume Ouellet Leblanc, Ryan Shotlander The liquidity management strategies of fund managers, supported by policy measures, have helped bond funds limit the increase in redemptions caused by COVID 19. This avoided further deterioration in liquidity in bond markets. Nevertheless, these funds were left with lower cash buffers, which could make them more vulnerable to additional large redemptions. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability JEL Code(s): G, G1, G2, G20, G23
Is the stock market pricing in a V‑shaped recovery? Staff Analytical Note 2020-17 James Kyeong Major stock indexes have bounced back from their March 23 trough to about 10 percent below their peaks. However, stocks that are more sensitive to the business cycle have not performed as well during this market rally. This suggests that stock markets are pricing in a slower, shallower economic recovery. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Asset pricing, Financial markets JEL Code(s): E, E4, E44, G, G1, G12, G14