Staff research

• September 30, 2016

  Research Update - September 2016

  This monthly newsletter features the latest research publications by Bank of Canada economists including external publications and working papers published on the Bank of Canada’s website.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Research newsletters

• Financial Constraint and Productivity: Evidence from Canadian SMEs

  Staff Working Paper 2016-44 Shutao Cao, Danny Leung

  The degree to which financial constraint is binding is often not directly observable in commonly used business data sets (e.g., Compustat). In this paper, we measure and estimate the likelihood of a firm being constrained by external financing using a data set of small- and medium-sized Canadian firms.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Firm dynamics, Productivity JEL Code(s): D, D2, D24, G, G3, G32, L, L2, L25

• The Paul Storer Memorial Lecture—Cross-Border Trade Integration and Monetary Policy

  Staff Discussion Paper 2016-20 Stephen S. Poloz

  In this paper we explore the nexus between cross-border trade integration and monetary policy. We first review the evidence that trade liberalization has increased the degree of integration in North America and conclude that, while robust structural inferences remain elusive, there is sufficient supporting evidence for central banks to treat the issue seriously.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Economic models, Monetary policy, Trade integration JEL Code(s): E, E3, E37, E5, F, F1, F4, F41, F6

• On What States Do Prices Depend? Answers from Ecuador

  Staff Working Paper 2016-43 Craig Benedict, Mario J. Crucini, Anthony Landry

  In this paper, we argue that differences in the cost structures across sectors play an important role in firms’ decisions to adjust their prices. We develop a menu-cost model of pricing in which retail firms intermediate trade between producers and consumers.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Inflation and prices, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E3, E5, F, F3, F33

• A Primer on Neo-Fisherian Economics

  Staff Analytical Note 2016-14 Robert Amano, Thomas J. Carter, Rhys R. Mendes

  Conventional models imply that central banks aiming to raise inflation should lower nominal rates and thus stimulate aggregate demand. However, several economists have recently challenged this conventional wisdom in favour of an alternative “neo-Fisherian’’ view under which higher nominal rates might in fact lead to higher inflation.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Central bank research, Economic models, Inflation and prices, Interest rates, Monetary policy framework, Monetary policy transmission JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5

• The Global Benefits of Low Oil Prices: More Than Meets the Eye

  Staff Analytical Note 2016-13 Robert Fay, Justin-Damien Guénette, Louis Morel

  Between mid-2014 and early 2016, oil prices fell by roughly 65 per cent. This note documents the channels through which this oil price decline is expected to affect the global economy. One important and immediate channel is through higher expenditures, especially in net oil-importing countries.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, International topics, Recent economic and financial developments JEL Code(s): E, E3, E32, E37, F, F0, F01, Q, Q4, Q43

• Implementing Cross-Border Interbank Lending in BoC-GEM-FIN

  Staff Discussion Paper 2016-19 Malik Shukayev, Argyn Toktamyssov

  BIS interbank lending data show that the Great Recession generated large and persistent changes in the international interbank lending positions of various countries. The main objective of this study is to understand the role of changes in international interbank credit flows in transmitting shocks across borders.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Economic models, International topics JEL Code(s): E, E2, E27, E3, E37, F, F4, F47

• Household Risk Assessment Model

  Technical Report No. 106 Brian Peterson, Tom Roberts

  Household debt can be an important source of vulnerability to the financial system. This technical report describes the Household Risk Assessment Model (HRAM) that has been developed at the Bank of Canada to stress test household balance sheets at the individual level.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Financial stability, Housing, Sectoral balance sheet JEL Code(s): C, C0, C6, C63, C65, D, D0, D1, D14

• Using Speed and Credit Limits to Address the Procyclicality of Initial Margin at Central Counterparties

  Staff Discussion Paper 2016-18 Nikil Chande, Nicholas Labelle

  This paper proposes a practical approach to address the procyclicality of initial margin at central counterparties (CCPs) that can work even in periods of extreme stress. The approach allows CCPs to limit the speed of margin increases resulting from spikes in market volatility.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): G, G1, G18