Financial system

• Canadian housing supply elasticities

  Staff analytical note 2021-21 Nuno Paixão

  We explain how housing supply elasticities for Canadian cities are estimated. The procedure we use exploits the systematic differences in various cities’ sensitivity to regional house-price cycles.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): R, R1, R14, R3, R31, R5, R52 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting

• Reaching for yield or resiliency? Explaining the shift in Canadian pension plan portfolios

  Staff analytical note 2021-20 Sébastien Betermier, Nicholas Byrne, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Hayden Ford, Jason Ho, Chelsea Mitchell

  “Reach for yield”—This is the commonly heard explanation for why pension plans shift their portfolios toward alternative assets. But we show that the new portfolios also hold more bonds, offer lower average returns and produce smaller and less volatile solvency deficits. These shifts are part of a broader strategy to reduce solvency risk.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): G, G1, G11 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk

• Household financial vulnerabilities and physical climate risks

  Staff analytical note 2021-19 Thibaut Duprey, Colin Jones, Callie Symmers, Geneviève Vallée

  Natural disasters occur more often than before, potentially exposing households to financial distress. We study the intersection between household financial vulnerabilities and severe weather events.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): C, C2, C21, C3, C38, D, D1, D14, Q, Q5, Q54 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Household and business credit, Structural challenges, Climate change

• Fiscal Spillovers: The Case of US Corporate and Personal Income Taxes

  Staff working paper 2021-41 Madeline Hanson, Daniela Hauser, Romanos Priftis

  How do changes to personal and corporate income tax rates in the United States affect its trading partners? Spillover effects from cuts in the two taxes differ. They are generally small and negative for corporate taxes, but sizable and positive for personal income taxes.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E3, E32, E6, E62, F, F4, F44, H, H2, H20 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, International trade, finance and competitiveness

• Centralizing Over-the-Counter Markets?

  Staff working paper 2021-39 Jason Allen, Milena Wittwer

  Would a shift in trading in fixed-income markets—from over the counter (bilateral trading) to a centralized electronic platform—improve welfare? We use trade-level data on the secondary market for Government of Canada debt to answer this question.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, D47, G, G1, G10, G2, G20, L, L1, L10 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Market structure, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation

• The uneven economic consequences of COVID 19: A structural analysis

  Staff analytical note 2021-17 Martin Kuncl, Austin McWhirter, Alexander Ueberfeldt

  Using a structural model, we study the economic consequences of the COVID-19 shock. The uneven consequences, such as higher unemployment among young households, amplify the negative implications for the macroeconomy, household vulnerabilities and consumption inequality. Government support programs have stimulated the economy and lowered inequality and medium-term vulnerabilities.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): E, E2, E20, E5, E52, E6, E62 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy tools and implementation, Real economy and forecasting

• Monetary Policy and the Persistent Aggregate Effects of Wealth Redistribution

  Staff working paper 2021-38 Martin Kuncl, Alexander Ueberfeldt

  Monetary policy in the presence of nominal debt and labour supply heterogeneity creates a policy trade-off: a short-term economic stimulus leads to persistently reduced output over the medium term. Price-level targeting weakens this trade-off and is better able to stabilize inflation and output than inflation targeting.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E2, E21, E5, E50 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation, Real economy and forecasting

• The Positive Case for a CBDC

  Staff discussion paper 2021-11 Andrew Usher, Edona Reshidi, Francisco Rivadeneyra, Scott Hendry

  We discuss the competition and innovation arguments for issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). A CBDC could be an effective competition policy tool for payments. A CBDC could also support the vibrancy of the digital economy. It could help solve market failures and foster competition and innovation in new digital payments markets.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E5, E58, L, L4, L5 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech, Payment and financial market infrastructures, Retail payments

• Stressed but not Helpless: Strategic Behaviour of Banks Under Adverse Market Conditions

  Staff working paper 2021-35 Grzegorz Halaj, Sofia Priazhkina

  Our stress-testing tool considers banks under stress that can strategically manage their balance sheets. Using confidential Canadian supervisory data, we assess whether bank behaviour to maximize shareholder value can amplify a hypothetical stress scenario.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C6, C63, C7, C72, G, G2, G21 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy tools and implementation

• The Side Effects of Safe Asset Creation

  Staff working paper 2021-34 Sushant Acharya, Keshav Dogra

  The secular decline in real interest rates has created a challenge for monetary policy, now confronting the zero lower bound more often. An increase in the supply of safe assets reduces downward pressure on the natural interest rate. This allows monetary policy to reach price stability and full employment, but not without cost—permanently lower investment.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E3, E4, E5, G, G1, H, H6 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy tools and implementation