Financial stability

• November 14, 2013

  Assessing Financial System Vulnerabilities: An Early Warning Approach

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2013 Gurnain Pasricha, Tom Roberts, Ian Christensen, Brad Howell

  This article focuses on a quantitative method to identify financial system vulnerabilities, specifically, an imbalance indicator model (IIM) and its application to Canada. An IIM identifies potential vulnerabilities in a financial system by comparing current economic and financial data with data from periods leading up to past episodes of financial stress. It complements other sources of information - including market intelligence and regular monitoring of the economy - that policy-makers use to assess vulnerabilities.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Econometric and statistical methods, Financial stability, Monetary and financial indicators JEL Code(s): E, E6, E66, G, G0, G01
• February 21, 2013

  Conference Summary: Financial Intermediation and Vulnerabilities

  Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2012-2013 Jason Allen, James Chapman, Ian Christensen

  The Bank of Canada’s annual economic conference, held in October 2012, brought together experts from across Canada and around the world to discuss key issues concerning financial intermediation and vulnerabilities. The conference covered such topics as household finances and their relationship to financial stability, as well as bank regulation, securitization and shadow banking.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Central bank research, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G2
• November 15, 2012

  Financial Transaction Taxes: International Experiences, Issues and Feasibility

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2012 Anna Pomeranets

  The financial transaction tax (FTT) is a policy idea with a long history that, in the wake of the global financial crisis, has attracted renewed interest in some quarters. This article examines the evidence of the impact of an FTT on market quality and explores a few of the practical issues surrounding the implementation of an FTT. Proponents argue that an FTT will generate substantial tax revenues and reduce market volatility. The majority of the empirical evidence, however, supports the arguments of opponents of the tax who assert that an FTT reduces volume and liquidity and increases volatility. In addition, there are numerous challenges in implementing an FTT, which may reduce the intended revenues. Whether an FTT is beneficial hinges on its effect on market quality and its ability to raise revenues. However, there are many unanswered questions regarding its design.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G0, G01, G1, G10, G18
• August 16, 2012

  An Analysis of Indicators of Balance-Sheet Risks at Canadian Financial Institutions

  Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2012 David Xiao Chen, H. Evren Damar, Hani Soubra, Yaz Terajima

  This article examines four indicators of balance-sheet risks—leverage, capital, asset liquidity and funding—among different types of financial institutions in Canada over the past three decades. It also discusses relevant developments in the banking sector that could have contributed to the observed dynamics. The authors find that the various risk indicators decreased during the period for most of the non-Big Six financial institutions, but remained relatively unchanged for the Big Six banks. In addition, the balance-sheet risk indicators became more heterogeneous across financial institutions. The observed overall decline and increased heterogeneity follow certain regulatory changes, such as the introduction of the liquidity guidelines on funding in 1995 and the implementation of bank-specific leverage requirements in 2000. Given that these regulations required more balance-sheet risk management, they have likely contributed to the increased resilience of the banking sector.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, G28
• May 17, 2012

  Inflation Targeting: The Recent International Experience

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2012 Robert Lavigne, Rhys R. Mendes, Subrata Sarker

  In the years since the 2006 renewal of Canada’s inflation-control agreement, monetary policy regimes have faced significant shocks, including the global economic and financial crisis. This article reviews the recent experience with inflation targeting, including the debate about the appropriate role of monetary policy in maintaining financial stability. In the aftermath of the crisis, both […]

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Credibility, Financial stability, Inflation targets, Monetary policy framework JEL Code(s): E, E3, E31, E5, E52, E58
• May 17, 2012

  Understanding Systemic Risk in the Banking Sector: A MacroFinancial Risk Assessment Framework

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2012 Céline Gauthier, Moez Souissi

  The MacroFinancial Risk Assessment Framework (MFRAF) models the interconnections between liquidity and solvency in a financial system, with multiple institutions linked through an interbank network. The MFRAF integrates funding liquidity risk as an endogenous outcome of the interactions between solvency risk and the liquidity profiles of banks, which is a complementary approach to the new […]

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies JEL Code(s): E, E4, E44, G, G0, G01, G2, G21
• November 17, 2011

  Liquidity Provision and Collateral Haircuts in Payments Systems

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2011 James Chapman, Jonathan Chiu, Miguel Molico

  Central banks play a pivotal role in well-functioning payments systems by providing liquidity via collateralized lending. This article discusses the role of collateral and haircut policy in central bank lending, as well as the distinguishing features of the central bank’s policy relative to private sector practices. It presents a model that explicitly incorporates the unique role of central banks in the payments system and argues that central banks must consider how their haircut policies affect the relative price and liquidity of assets, the market’s asset allocation, and the likelihood of participants to default. Furthermore, under extraordinary circumstances, there is a rationale for the central bank to temporarily reduce haircuts or broaden the list of eligible collateral to mitigate the shortage of liquidity in the market.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Central bank research, Financial stability, Payment clearing and settlement systems
• May 19, 2011

  Understanding and Measuring Liquidity Risk: A Selection of Recent Research

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Céline Gauthier, Hajime Tomura

  During the recent financial crisis, one of the forces set in motion by the initial losses on subprime-mortgage loans was a significant decline in the market liquidity of assets and in the ability of financial institutions to obtain funding in wholesale markets. In this article, the authors summarize recent research that clarifies the role of liquidity in destabilizing the financial system and examine the implications of this research for the recently announced financial system reforms, including Basel III.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies
• May 19, 2011

  Lessons from the Use of Extraordinary Central Bank Liquidity Facilities

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Stéphane Lavoie, Alex Sebastian, Virginie Traclet

  The recent crisis was characterized by widespread deterioration in funding conditions, as well as impairment of the mechanism through which liquidity is normally redistributed within the financial system. Central banks responded with extraordinary measures. This article examines the provision of liquidity by central banks during the crisis as they adapted their existing facilities and introduced new ones, while encouraging a return to private markets and mitigating moral hazard. A review of this experience illustrates the importance of clear principles for intervention, a flexible operating framework, and clear communication and co-operation by central banks. By exposing the degree of interdependence of financial institutions and markets, the crisis highlighted the need for reforms aimed at improving the infrastructure supporting core funding markets and the liquidity of individual institutions.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Lender of last resort
• May 19, 2011

  Central Bank Collateral Policy: Insights from Recent Experience

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2011 Lorie Zorn, Alejandro García

  The collateral policy of central banks played a critical role during the recent financial crisis, as they worked to bolster liquidity and alleviate the funding pressures facing financial institutions. This article examines central bank collateral policy and discusses three areas in which central banks can use their collateral policy to influence financial market practices: promoting greater transparency for securitized products, improving practices related to credit risk, and reducing procyclicality in the management of market risk.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Financial stability, Payment clearing and settlement systems