Central Bank Communication That Works: Lessons from Lab Experiments Staff working paper 2019-21 Oleksiy Kryvtsov, Luba Petersen We use controlled laboratory experiments to test the causal effects of central bank communication on economic expectations and to distinguish the underlying mechanisms of those effects. In an experiment where subjects learn to forecast economic variables, we find that central bank communication has a stabilizing effect on individual and aggregate outcomes and that the size of the effect varies with the type of communication. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C9, D, D8, D84, E, E3, E5, E52 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Reassessing the Growth of HELOCs in Canada Using New Regulatory Data Staff analytical note 2019-14 Leila Al-Mqbali, Olga Bilyk, Stefan Caputo, James Younker Using new regulatory data on residential secured lending from Canadian banks, we assess the growth rate of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D1, G, G2, G21, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Household and business credit
Firm-level Investment Under Imperfect Capital Markets in Ukraine Staff working paper 2019-14 Oleksandr Shcherbakov This paper develops and estimates a model of firm-level fixed capital investment when firms face borrowing constraints. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C6, C61, C63, D, D2, D24, G, G3, G31 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Economic models
Non-Resident Taxes and the Role of House Price Expectations Staff analytical note 2019-8 Mikael Khan, Matthieu Verstraete In recent years, the governments of Ontario and British Columbia have imposed taxes on purchases by non-Canadian residents of residential properties in certain jurisdictions. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D8, D84, R, R2, R21 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Household and business credit
Limiting Sender’s Information in Bayesian Persuasion Staff working paper 2019-10 Shota Ichihashi This paper studies how the outcome of Bayesian persuasion depends on a sender’s information. I study a game in which, prior to the sender’s information disclosure, the designer can restrict the most informative signal that the sender can generate. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D8, D82, D83 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission
Inequality in Parental Transfers and Optimal Need-Based Financial Aid Staff working paper 2019-7 Youngmin Park This paper studies optimal need-based financial aid when parental transfers—unobserved by policymakers—vary across and within families of similar means. Using data on U.S. college students, I document substantial inequality in parental transfers, especially among wealthier families. I then analyze how this affects aid design aimed at reducing inefficiencies from borrowing constraints and the aid itself. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, D6, D61, D64, D8, D82, I, I2, I22, J, J2, J24 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Household and business credit, Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Demographics and labour supply
The Productivity Slowdown in Canada: An ICT Phenomenon? Staff working paper 2019-2 Jeffrey Mollins, Pierre St-Amant We ask whether a weaker contribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) to productivity growth could account for the productivity slowdown observed in Canada since the early 2000s. To answer this question, we consider several methods capturing channels through which ICT could affect aggregate productivity growth. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D2, D24, O, O4, O41, O47 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Digitalization and productivity
2017 Methods-of-Payment Survey Report Staff discussion paper 2018-17 Christopher Henry, Kim Huynh, Angelika Welte Cash use is declining while contactless and mobile payments are on the rise. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): D, D8, D83, E, E4, E41 Research Theme(s): Money and payments, Cash and bank notes, Payment and financial market infrastructures, Retail payments
The Cost of the Government Bond Buyback and Switch Programs in Canada Staff analytical note 2018-41 Bo Young Chang, Jun Yang, Parker Liu This note examines the costs of the Government of Canada bond buyback and switch programs between 1998 and 2016. Our analysis indicates that the auction design of the buyback program was effective in retiring government debt with minimal costs resulting from bid shading in auctions and price impact. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D4, D44 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Funds management, Market functioning
The Impact of Recent Policy Changes on the Canadian Mortgage Market Staff analytical note 2018-35 Olga Bilyk, Maria teNyenhuis Recent policy changes are having a clear impact on the mortgage market. The number of new, highly indebted borrowers has fallen, and overall mortgage activity has slowed significantly. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): D, D1, E, E4, G, G2, G21, G28 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Financial system, Financial system regulation and oversight, Household and business credit