Financial crisis and saving–investment dynamics in the presence of cross-sectional dependence: The case of East Asia

Using the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) technique to a set of balanced panel error correction model, we examine the effects of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the global financial crisis of 2008 on the behavior of saving and investment in East Asian countries. Our results show that saving and investment rates are highly dependent across countries of East Asia. This finding underlines the importance of taking into account cross-sectional dependence when analyzing saving–investment relationship. The results also indicate that the adverse financial shock of 1997 has negatively affected the short run correlation between saving and investment, but has not influenced their long run relationship. Our finding, hence, verifies the prediction of new open economy macroeconomic theories regarding the divergence of short run saving–investment from its long run trend for East Asia. Moreover, we find that the global financial crisis of 2008 has not affected the saving–investment dynamics in this region. It means that the consequences of the Asian and global financial crises for saving–investment dynamics are not the same in East Asia. One might attribute these differences to the origins of these two shocks, i.e., internal versus external to the region. These findings may have some policy implications for those countries that rely heavily on foreign investment and are subject to various internal and external financial shocks.     

Monetary Policy Impulses and Retail Interest Rate Pass‐Through in Asian Banking Markets

This paper considers the integration of financial markets and mutual influences of monetary policies in the USA and Asia based on monthly data from 1994 to 2007. We used panel‐type and time‐series and quantile panel‐type error correction models to test the influences of expected and unexpected monetary policy impulses on the interest rate pass‐through mechanism in the financial markets of 9 Asian countries and the USA. The empirics show that if interest rate integration exists in the financial markets, the following effects are observed: (i) positive impulses of unexpected monetary policy will lead to an increase in the long‐run multiplier of the retail interest rate; (ii) the adjustment of retail interest rates with short‐run disequilibrium will lead to an increase in the long‐run markup; and (iii) the empirical results of quantile regression prove that when the interest variation is greater than the 0.5th quantile and unexpected monetary policy impulses are greater than the expected monetary policy impulses, the short‐run interest rate pass‐through mechanism becomes more unstable.     

Are Financial Development and Trade Openness Complements or Substitutes?

This article studies the long‐ and short‐run relationships between financial development and trade openness. Using the pooled mean group estimator of Pesaran, Shin, and Smith (1999) for unbalanced panel data for 87 countries over the 1960–2005 period, our empirical results indicate that long‐run complementarity between financial development and trade openness coexists with short‐run substitutionarity between the two policy variables. But when splitting the data into OECD and non‐OECD country groups, this finding can be observed only in non‐OECD countries. For OECD countries, financial development has negligible effects on trade. In addition, we find nonlinearity in the relationship in that long‐run responses of trade decrease with financial development. The article further finds coexistence of negative trade effects of financial fragility and positive trade impacts of financial depth.     

Monetary policy transmission and macroeconomic policy coordination in Pacific island countries

During the global financial crisis, central banks in Pacific island countries eased monetary policy to stimulate economic activity. Judging by the ensuing movements in commercial bank interest rates and private sector credit, monetary policy transmission appears to be weak. This is confirmed by an empirical examination of interest rate pass‐through and credit growth. Weak credit demand and under‐developed financial markets seem to have limited the effectiveness of monetary policy, but the inflexibility of exchange rates and rising real interest rates have also served to frustrate the central banks' efforts despite a supporting fiscal policy. While highlighting the importance of developing domestic financial markets in the long run, this experience also points to the need to coordinate macroeconomic policies and to use all macroeconomic tools available in conducting countercyclical policies, including exchange rate flexibility.     

中国财政赤字和国债政策的经济增长效应研究

本文通过构建一个VAR模型,选取财政赤字率和国债负债率为财政政策指标,来分析财政政策对经济增长和通货膨胀的影响。实证显示:财政赤字增加短期能够促进经济增长,但长期对经济增长无效,且不会引起通货膨胀;相反,负债率增加虽在短期内对经济增长影响不明显,但长期具有显著负影响,同时会导致通货紧缩。结论表明,国家应对金融危机的积极财政政策短期是有效刺激经济增长的,但是长期是无效的,尤其是通过大量发行国债弥补赤字扩大财政支出的政策,对经济增长有较大的负作用。因此,本文认为目前政府应该给市场更多自由,减少对市场的政策干预。     

How does the US credit crisis affect the Asia–Pacific economies?—Analysis based on a general equilibrium model

The current financial crisis differs from most post-war recessions in that the balance sheets of both households and banks have been severely damaged, which could lead to structural changes in the behavior of households. Therefore, it may exert some far-reaching effects on regional economies in the short run as well as in the medium term. This paper studies these effects using a multi-country dynamic structural model. In the short run, the US credit crisis weighs heavily upon the Asia–Pacific economies through financial linkages in addition to the traditional trade channel due to the deepening global financial integration. The relative importance of various financial channels differs notably across economies. While stock market contagion is more important for advanced economies, flight to quality across borders plays a key role in less developed economies. From a medium-term perspective, changes in the US household behavior caused by the credit crisis can help correct global imbalances, but the effectiveness hinges largely upon how long US households can maintain a reasonably higher savings rate. In addition, although the declining American public savings rate may not exert material impacts on the global imbalances, it can darken regional growth prospects due to a potentially higher world real interest rate.     

日韩两国应对全球金融危机的财政货币政策及启示

全球金融危机对各主要经济体都造成了不同程度的影响。作为长期受经济萧条困扰的日本和在东南亚金融危机中遭遇重创的韩国,在运用财政货币政策应对金融危机方面积累的丰富经验。本文分析了日韩两国应对此次金融危机的财政货币政策,既从宏观和微观的层面总结出两国采取的共性政策,也提炼出两国在政策的制定和执行中注重货币政策工具的创新、政策制定和运营时同时兼顾短期效果和长期调控目标以及日本政策审慎性特点等值得我国借鉴的经验。     

The Long‐run and Short‐run Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Financial Development in African Countries

This paper contributes to the understanding of the other neglected effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) by analysing how FDI affects financial development in the short run and long run for a panel of 49 African countries over the period 1990–2016. The empirical evidence is based on a pooled mean group approach. With three panels differentiated by income level, the following findings are established: first, while there is a positive and significant long‐run relationship between FDI and financial development in Africa, in the short run the effect of FDI on financial development is negative. Second, the effect of FDI is positive and significant in the long run in the three sub‐samples. However, in the short run, the effect of FDI is negative and significant in lower‐income countries and non‐significant in lower‐middle‐income and upper‐middle‐income countries. Overall we find strong evidence supporting the view that FDI promotes financial development in African countries in the long run.     

Dynamic Relationships between Exchange Rates and Foreign Direct Investment: Empirical Evidence from Korea

This paper examines the short‐run and long‐run dynamic relationships between exchange rates and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Korea. Monthly data retrieved from the Bank of Korea from January 1999 to March 2012 are examined. A cointegration test, a vector error correction model, the Wald test and impulse responses techniques are applied to analyze the data. The present study finds that, first, long‐run causation between exchange rates and FDI flows exists, which implies that a change in exchange rates negatively affects FDI flows in the long run. Second, short‐run causation between exchange rates and FDI flows exists, which confirms that there is reciprocal feedback between the two variables. Finally, the study finds evidence of a structural break from the global financial crisis of 2007–2009 shock to FDI flows in Korea. An external shock affects changes in the endogenous variables and, thus, causes instability in the cointegrating vector in the system.     

Crisis,Stimulus Package and Migration in China

This paper analyzes the short‐term and long‐term effects that the global economic crisis and the investment priorities of the Chinese Government's stimulus package had on Chinese migrant flows between 2008 and 2014. Combining micro‐level household survey data and macro‐level statistics, the authors have found that in the short run, the regional and sectoral impact of the crisis, combined with the government's investment priorities, caused a reorientation of migration routes from the export‐oriented coastal provinces towards the central and western regions, from inter‐provincial migration towards intra‐provincial migration, and from manufacturing industry towards the construction sector. However, in the longer run, the decreasing attractiveness of the eastern region and the increasing attractiveness of the western region proved to be transitory, although the pre‐crisis relative advantage of the eastern region was not fully restored. What proved to be persistent were the attractiveness of the central region and the intra‐provincial migration in all three regions, and, in particular, the steady growth of migrants in the construction sector.     

试论金融危机对中国经济的影响

2007年由美国房价下跌导致的次贷危机,让美国经济遭受衰退危险,并引发了全球范围内百年未遇的金融危机,到现在仍然没见底,给全球经济增长带来严重负面影响。基于此,本文在分析金融危机对中国经济影响的基础上,提出了中国防范金融危机风险的政策建议。     

LONG‐RUN DETERMINANTS OF SAVINGS RATES IN WAEMU COUNTRIES: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT FROM ARDL BOUNDS TESTING APPROACH

In this paper, we examine the long‐run determinants of savings rates for seven member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union over the period 1970–2006. We use the bounds testing approach to cointegration developed by Pesaran et al. This methodology has several advantages with respect to other cointegration tests. The long‐run determinants of savings rate vary across countries. Results reveal that the financial liberalization process undertaken at the end of 1989 and the existing monetary policy have not been effective to increase the domestic savings rates within the area.     

全球外汇储备、金融控制与我国的金融安全

在金融全球化时代,美国通过金融控制主宰着世界经济。美国凭借美元“中心货币”地位而攫取的国际铸币税成为弥补其经常项目逆差的稳定来源,这是全球经济不平衡的根源;作为世界头号外汇储备大国,我国面临资产价格泡沫膨胀和外汇储备稳定性下降这两大金融安全问题;美元在全球外汇储备中的比重下降将直接导致美国国际铸币税的减少,致使经常项目逆差逐步丧失稳定的弥补途径,使其容易陷入金融危机,导致后布雷顿森林体系的崩溃;我国应通过美元储备的替代来减少国际铸币税剥削,同时推进人民币的国际化以分享国际铸币税收益。     

DELAYS IN STABILIZATION OR IN REFORMS? THE DEBT CRISIS

Empirical analyses attributing the 1980s’ debt crisis to inconsistent stabilization policies rest on an inappropriate long‐run approach. Revising this long‐run approach yields opposite results: terms of trade shocks and foreign indebtedness explain this crisis, regardless of domestic stabilization policies. This prompts us to consider a new hypothesis, of delays in trade‐policy reforms, with a model in which terms‐of‐trade variation (under shocks) is endogenous to export structure and efficiency of resource allocation. Evidence from the structural equations model shows that allocation distortions negatively affect changes in terms of trade, which then explain this crisis. A political economy extension demonstrates that income inequality and regional trade policy determine the distortions, which in turn leads to this crisis.     

The causes of the recent financial crisis and the role of central banks in avoiding the next one

The recent financial crisis revealed that in a world of large asymmetries of information, of complex financial innovations and incomplete regulatory frameworks “self regulation” obviously does not work. But we have also seen that the governmental stabilisation policies have not worked well either. This paper argues that there have been, at least, two main contributors to the recent financial crisis. The one is supervision and regulation policy, the other is monetary policy. Easy monetary policy designed to ward off perceived risks of deflation in 2002–04 contributed to the boom in the housing market in 2004 and 2005 by keeping interest rates too low for too long. Particularly the US-Fed has played a crucial role by fuelling the asset-price, boom-bust cycle that led to the sub-prime crisis and the following global financial crisis. Moreover, this paper analyses what central banks can do to help avoid a next financial crisis. In particular, the role and limits of supplementary macro-prudential instruments are discussed.     

INFLATION TARGETING AND THE FISHER EFFECT IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

The paper analyses the relationship between expected inflation and nominal interest rates during a period of inflation targeting in South Africa, i.e. from 2000 to 2005. Specifically, it investigates the Fisher hypothesis that nominal interest rates move one‐to‐one with expected inflation, leaving the real interest rate unaffected. The analysis distinguishes between a short‐run Fisher effect and a long‐run Fisher effect. Using cointegration and error correction models (for monthly data for the period April 2000 to July 2005), it was found that the short‐run Fisher hypothesis did not hold during the relevant period under the inflation targeting monetary policy framework in South Africa. This is attributed to a combination of the South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) control over short‐term interest rates and the effects of the monetary transmission mechanism. The long‐run Fisher hypothesis could not be confirmed in its strictest form: while changes in inflation expectations move in the same direction as the nominal long‐term interest rate. This suggests that monetary policy has an influence on the real long‐term interest rate, which has positive implications for general economic activity, thus confirming the credibility of the inflation targeting framework.     

Spillovers of the Conventional and Unconventional Monetary Policy from the US to South Africa

This paper assesses the effect of US monetary policy on South Africa during the period 1990–2018. We separately analyse and compare the effect of conventional monetary policy, before the Global Financial Crisis, and unconventional monetary policy, after the US monetary policy reached the zero-lower bound. Our impulse response function results indicate that monetary policy in South Africa responds mainly to local inflation, economic activity and financial conditions. While there is strong correlation between the global and South African financial cycle, the financial cycle is not transmitted to the real economy because of the sluggish response of industrial production and domestic credit, especially after the global financial crisis. We see this as an indication of the effects of structural issues to the real economy and constrained households’ balance sheet which has prevented the local economy to take advantage of low local interest rates and the global economic recovery after the crisis.     

International Capital Mobility in the Short Run and the Long Run: A Daily Data Study for Japan,Singapore and Taiwan*

Using daily data from between 1993 and 2003, covered interest differential and cointegration tests are applied to examine short‐run and long‐run international capital mobility for Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, and, for comparison purposes, the UK. Despite the high short‐run mobility in Japan (Singapore and Taiwan), being slightly (significantly) lower than in the UK, perfect long‐run mobility exists in all three Asian economies, especially when the Asian currency crisis is excluded. Different short‐run and long‐run mobility implies the existence of a response lag in the financial market. As expected, although the impulse response reaches the significant long‐run equilibrium level shortly after the shock in the UK, lagged responses appear in the three Asian economies, particularly in Singapore and Taiwan.     

货币与财政政策后续效应评估:40次银行危机样本

以20世纪80年代以来40次重要的系统性银行危机为基础,对金融危机后的货币政策和财政政策选择进行实证评价。实证结果表明,"适度扩张"的货币政策和财政政策能产生相对较优的经济效果,应成为金融危机后的主要政策选择,但由于两种政策刺激或稳定经济的效力都集中体现在短期,为避免持续和大规模货币扩张和财政赤字带来的负面影响,一旦危机消退、经济企稳回升,之前作为"反危机工具"出现的扩张性货币和财政政策就应该逐步淡出。     

Lessons from the great recession for developing countries

Many lessons can be taken from the Great Recession and the Euro crisis with respect to both pre‐crisis and post‐crisis policies. Appropriate measures can reduce the risk of crisis in individual countries, the severity of crises, and the magnitude of needed adjustments. These include an appropriate exchange rate policy (flexibility is highly desirable), ensuring the soundness of the financial system, not allowing expansion of credit at too high a rate, adopting structural fiscal budgeting policies, and avoiding dangerous sovereign debt build‐up. On the crisis resolution side, the lesson that stands out is the desirability of decisive and credible action to address the causes of the crisis. The issues that arise when the banking and financial system is weakened in the run‐up to crisis are extremely difficult, especially when sovereign debt is unsustainable. Therefore, while the important lesson is to avoid overly expansive credit build‐up during good times, in the event of a crisis, it is important that the health of the banks be restored as quickly as possible and that a viable supervision and resolution framework be put in place.