The increasing role of hedge funds in Government of Canada bond auctions Staff analytical note 2025-22 Adam Epp, Jeffrey Gao We find that the rise in Government of Canada debt issuance correlates to growing participation of hedge funds in bond auctions since 2020. This increased participation supports the cost-effective distribution of Canada’s debt, but it also represents a potential vulnerability because hedge funds have a greater flight risk than other investor types. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D4, D44, G, G1, G12, G2, G23, H, H6, H63 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk
Simulating the Resilience of the Canadian Banking Sector Under Stress: An Update of the Bank of Canada’s Top-Down Solvency Assessment Tool Technical report No. 128 Omar Abdelrahman, David Xiao Chen, Cameron MacDonald, Adi Mordel, Guillaume Ouellet Leblanc We present a technical description of the Top-Down Solvency Assessment (TDSA) tool. As a solvency stress-testing tool, TDSA is used to assess the banking sector’s capital resilience to hypothetical future risk scenarios. Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports JEL Code(s): C, C2, C22, C5, C52, C53, G, G1, G17, G2, G21, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk, Models and tools, Economic models
On-the-run Premia, Settlement Fails, and Central Bank Access Staff working paper 2025-19 Fabienne Schneider The premium on “on-the-run” Treasuries is an anomaly. I explain it using a model in which primary dealers hold inventories of Treasuries. I use the model to analyze the effects of granting access to central bank facilities. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): G, G1, G12, G19, G2, G23 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Market functioning, Market structure, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation
The Dynamic Canadian Debt Strategy Model Technical report No. 127 Nicolas Audet, Joe Ning, Adam Epp, Jeffrey Gao We present a dynamic debt strategy model framework designed to assist sovereign debt portfolio managers in choosing an optimal debt issuance strategy. The main innovation of this framework is the introduction of dynamic issuance strategies, which allow issuance decisions to vary over time based on the model’s simulated state variables. Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports JEL Code(s): C, C6, C61, G, G1, G11, G17, H, H6, H63, H68 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods
The impact of trading flows on Government of Canada bond prices Staff analytical note 2025-20 Andreas Uthemann, Rishi Vala, Jun Yang Trading flows affect Government of Canada bond prices. Our estimates suggest a sale of 1% of the available supply of bonds typically lowers bond prices by 0.2%. From 2000 to 2025, demand from institutional investors, such as Canadian pension funds and foreign investors, explains 69% of quarterly price variation, with the remainder explained by changes in the supply of bonds. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): C, C0, C01, C3, C36, C5, C58, D, D5, D53, E, E6, E62, G, G1, G11, G12, G2, G23 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Market functioning, Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk
Are Hedge Funds a Hedge for Increasing Government Debt Issuance? Staff discussion paper 2025-7 Adam Epp, Jeffrey Gao This paper studies the rapid increase since 2019 of Government of Canada (GoC) debt issuance alongside greater hedge fund participation at GoC bond auctions. We find a systematic relationship between GoC debt stock and hedge fund bidding shares at auction. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, D44, G, G1, G12, G2, G23, H, H6, H63 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk
Risk-Free Uncollateralized Lending in Decentralized Markets: An Introduction to Flash Loans Staff discussion paper 2025-6 Jack Mandin A flash loan is a special type of uncollateralized loan with zero default risk. I document the use for flash loans across major blockchains that are Ethereum-Virtual-Machine-compatible. Flash loans expand access to liquidity, and highly sophisticated actors use them for many practical applications. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): G, G0, G1, G2 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech
March 17, 2025 Will asset managers dash for cash? A summary of the implications for central banks David Cimon, Jean-Philippe Dion, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Jabir Sandhu We consider ways central banks could adapt in the event of an increased risk of a dash for cash from asset managers. We explore ideas such as new facilities that ease asset managers’ ability to convert existing assets to cash or new assets with liquidity that central banks would guarantee. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Hub articles JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, G, G0, G00, G01, G1, G2
Will Asset Managers Dash for Cash? Implications for Central Banks Staff discussion paper 2025-5 David Cimon, Jean-Philippe Dion, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Jabir Sandhu We consider ways central banks could adapt in the event of an increased risk of a dash for cash from asset managers. We explore ideas such as new facilities that ease asset managers’ ability to convert existing assets to cash or new assets with liquidity that central banks would guarantee. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): E, E5, E58, G, G0, G00, G01, G1, G2 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Financial stability and systemic risk, Monetary policy, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Stress testing central counterparties for resolution planning Staff analytical note 2025-11 Katherine Brennan, Bo Young Chang, Alper Odabasioglu, Radoslav Raykov The Bank of Canada completed its first resolution plan for the Canadian Derivatives and Clearing Corporation (CDCC) in 2024. To estimate the resolution costs, we apply the extreme value theory method to simulate the credit losses that would result from extreme scenarios where multiple clearing members default at the same time. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): G, G1, G17, G2, G23, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Financial system regulation and oversight, Money and payments, Payment and financial market infrastructures