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December 19, 2001
Debt Strategy Consultations 2002-03 - Market Views Sought on Issues Relating to the Design and Operation of Government Debt Programs over 2002-03 and Beyond
A consultation document on issues relating to the design and operation of government debt programs for fiscal year 2002-2003 and beyond, prepared jointly by the Department of Finance and the Bank of Canada, is being made public today. -
December 19, 2001
Debt Strategy Consultations 2002-03
December 2001 Overview The purpose of the consultations is to obtain market views on issues relating to the design and operation of government debt programs for fiscal year 2002-03 and beyond. Given the outlook contained in the 2001 Budget released 10 December 2001, the debt program is projected to continue to operate at current levels and no […] -
December 18, 2001
Government of Canada Pilot Bond Switch Program Launch: Operational Framework
On behalf of the Minister of Finance, the Bank of Canada announced today the operational framework for a pilot bond switch program. The program is designed to support the maintenance of a liquid Government of Canada new issue bond market through the exchange of less liquid outstanding bonds (repurchase bonds) into a benchmark bond (replacement bond). -
December 18, 2001
The Resolution of International Financial Crises: Private Finance and Public Funds
Over the past year and a half, authors Andy Haldane of the Bank of England and Mark Kruger of the Bank of Canada have been developing a framework for the resolution of international financial crises that aligns incentives for all parties in a way that deals with the crisis and preserves the integrity of the international financial system. The framework is built on principles, not rules. It attempts to be clear about the respective roles and responsibilities of the public and private sectors. A central element in shaping private sector expectations is knowledge that the official sector will behave predictably. Constraints on lending by the International Monetary Fund are a key step in that direction. They ensure that private sector involvement is a crucial part of crisis resolution, and they help encourage debtors and creditors to seek co-operative solutions to a crisis. Characterized by constraints, clarity, and orderliness, the framework has the potential to reduce the incidence and cost of financial crises. -
December 17, 2001
The Canadian Fixed-Income Market: Recent Developments and Outlook
The Canadian fixed-income market is in the midst of a structural transformation similar to those occurring in other national financial markets around the world. The authors examine recent developments and trends in the market and discuss their possible effects. The simultaneous shrinking of the federal government's financial requirements and steady rise in issues of corporate securities have significantly altered the composition of Canada's fixed-income market. Government of Canada securities constitute a predominant portion of outstanding fixed-income securities and play a pivotal role, serving as benchmarks for the valuation of other traded securities and as a hedging vehicle for market participants trying to control their exposure to risk. The reduced issuance of federal government securities has contributed to a decline in the liquidity of the benchmark market. This raises broader issues regarding the future of the Canadian fixed-income market, since the corporate market is still fairly underdeveloped and illiquid compared with that for Government of Canada issues. There are thus currently few benchmark and hedging alternatives. The federal government is, however, committed to preserving the integrity of the market for benchmark issues and is adopting initiatives to enhance market liquidity and alleviate some of the pressures on the effective supply of these securities. Another evolving trend in the market is the emergence of electronic trading platforms. These platforms have the potential to facilitate the price-discovery mechanism, increase cost efficiency, and improve the liquidity and transparency of the market. -
December 16, 2001
Risk Management in the Exchange Fund Account
In this article, author Michel Rochette of the Bank's Risk-Management Unit briefly describes the initiatives undertaken to identify, analyze, model, and manage the principal risks inherent in the transactions of the Exchange Fund Account (EFA), where the international reserves of the federal government are held. The author focuses on five types of risk: credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, and legal risk. In addition, the author presents the risk-management principles underlying the activities of the EFA and the governance structure of the Account. -
December 14, 2001
Bank of Canada's target for the minimum daily level of Large Value Transfer System settlement balances confirmed
On 29 March 2001, the Bank of Canada announced an increase in the target for the minimum daily level of the Large Value Transfer System (LVTS) settlement balances from zero to $50 million on a trial basis, effective 2 April 2001. -
December 4, 2001
Bank of Canada to acquire general collateral through term repurchase agreements
The Bank of Canada today announced its intention to temporarily add assets to its balance sheet to offset the anticipated seasonal increase in the demand for bank notes. These operations have no monetary policy significance. -
The Monetary Transmission Mechanism at the Sectoral Level
This paper relies on simple vector autoregressions to investigate the monetary transmission mechanism in broad sectors of the Canadian economy. Two types of disaggregation are considered: one at the level of final expenditures, and one at the level of production.