Vertical Bargaining and Obfuscation Staff working paper 2022-13 Edona Reshidi Is obscuring prices always bad for consumers? The answer depends on the market structure and on the negotiating power between manufacturers and retailers. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C7, C70, L, L1, L13, L4, L42 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market structure, Models and tools, Economic models
Central Bank Liquidity Facilities and Market Making Staff working paper 2022-9 David Cimon, Adrian Walton We create a theoretical model of central bank asset purchases. The model helps explain how, in a crisis, these purchases ease pressures on investment dealers. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): G, G1, G10, G2, G20, L, L1, L10 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
Rising US LNG Exports and Global Natural Gas Price Convergence Staff discussion paper 2021-14 Robert Ialenti We assess how rising exports of US liquefied natural gas affect the convergence of natural gas prices worldwide. Our results may have implications for the development of future LNG export capacity in Canada. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers JEL Code(s): C, C3, C32, F, F1, F15, K, K4, K41, L, L9, L95 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market structure, Structural challenges, International trade, finance and competitiveness
Measuring the Effectiveness of Salespeople: Evidence from a Cold-Drink Market Staff working paper 2021-40 Haofeng Jin, Zhentong Lu Salespeople are widely employed in many industries. We leverage a unique data set on retail sales from a leading Chinese cold-drink manufacturer and information on the firm’s salespeople assignment rule to measure the causal effect of salespeople on product revenue. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): L, L8, L81, M, M3, M5 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Demographics and labour supply
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 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
The Effects of Government Licensing on E-commerce: Evidence from Alibaba Staff working paper 2021-32 Ginger Zhe Jin, Zhentong Lu, Xiaolu Zhou, Chunxiao Li How does government licensing affect selling on online platforms? We examine the impact of China’s 2015 Food Safety Law on sellers and buyers on Alibaba, the largest e-commerce platform in that country. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D8, D82, K, K2, K23, L, L5, L8, L81 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Market structure
Overlooking the online world: Does mismeasurement of the digital economy explain the productivity slowdown? Staff analytical note 2021-10 Alejandra Bellatin, Stéphanie Houle Since the mid-2000s, labour productivity has slowed down in Canada despite enormous technological advances that were expected to improve it. This note investigates whether mismeasurement of the digital economy can explain this paradox. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): E, E0, E01, L, L8, L86, O, O3, O33, O4, O5, O51 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Structural challenges, Digitalization and productivity
Payments on Digital Platforms: Resiliency, Interoperability and Welfare Staff working paper 2021-19 Jonathan Chiu, Tsz-Nga Wong This paper studies the business model choice between running a cash platform and a token platform, as well as its welfare and policy implications. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5, L, L5 Research Theme(s): Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech, Payment and financial market infrastructures, Retail payments
Trade and Market Power in Product and Labor Markets Staff working paper 2021-17 Gaelan MacKenzie Trade liberalizations increase the sales and input purchases of productive firms relative to their less productive domestic competitors. This reallocation affects firms’ market power in their product and input markets. I quantify how the labour market power of employers affects the distribution and size of the gains from trade. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, D43, F, F1, F12, F6, J, L, L1, L13 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market structure, Structural challenges, International trade, finance and competitiveness