Systemic risk,economic policy uncertainty and firm bankruptcies: Evidence from multivariate causal inference

The paper investigates causal relationships between systemic risk, economic policy uncertainty and firm bankruptcies, conditional on global volatility proxied by the VIX index, in a sample of 15 advanced and major emerging market economies during January 2008-June 2018. We test for Granger causality in time and frequency domains as well as dissect multivariate causal linkages in the dynamic complex system framework by applying a novel technique – convergent cross mapping (Sugihara et al., 2012). Based on strictly coincident results from all the three approaches, we find that systemic risk causes firm exit in Spain, while in the UK and the Netherlands bankruptcies are triggered by economic policy uncertainty. In South Korea and the USA, the VIX index causes the firm shutdown. For the rest of the countries, the causality inference provides less robust evidence. We argue that the magnitude of deleveraging by banks with respect to the private nonfinancial sector, proxied by the volatility of credit-to-GDP gaps, shapes the presence or absence of causal impact by systemic risk, economic policy uncertainty or the VIX index on bankruptcies.     

Macroeconomic stability or financial stability: How are capital controls used? Insights from a new database

While the traditional objectives of capital controls were to address macroeconomic stability risks, a new “externalities view” has emerged prescribing their use to contain financial stability risks. In this context, our understanding of whether capital controls are used in practice to mitigate macroeconomic or financial stability remains limited. Using a novel database on high-frequency capital account regulations for 47 advanced and emerging economies from 2008 to 2020, this paper empirically assesses this question. Our main findings are that: (a) in emerging markets there is a strong association of capital controls on inflows to mitigate risks to macro stability but not financial stability risks; (b) in advanced economies there is a robust association between capital controls on inflows to lean against the buildup of financial stability but not macro stability risks; (c) banking sector flows, but not aggregate capital flows, are strongly associated with tightening capital controls on inflows in emerging markets; and (d) pooling advanced and emerging economies attenuates regression estimates and would lead to concluding that capital controls have weak association with both financial and macro stability motives. Our results can be rationalized by the greater capital flows, more volatile business cycles and stronger interaction between business and financial cycles in emerging markets, and the deeper asset markets found in advanced economies.     

Determinants of risk in the banking sector during the European Financial Crisis

Risk assessment in the banking sector has been a prominent topic in the banking literature and has gained attention especially since the recent financial crises. In particular, the European crisis, which was the first since the formation of the Eurozone, underlined a number of significant problems and increased concerns on the tail or crash risk of banks. In the present study, we seek to examine whether information asymmetry, the importance of banks in the financial system and systemic risk play significant roles in the evolution of stock crashes in the banking sector. Information asymmetry is proxied by opacity, the importance of a bank in a financial network is proxied by network centrality, and systemic risk is proxied by clustering. The research framework considers a number of regulatory, reporting and financial market factors that have also been determined to relate to stock crashes and shows that all of the above factors are related to (idiosyncratic) stock crash risk under specific conditions.     

Bank credit risk and macro-prudential policies: Role of counter-cyclical capital buffer

This paper investigates the impact of macro-prudential policy (proxied by the counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB)) on bank credit risk during uncertain times, as banking sector stability is crucial in promoting financial intermediation. Using a unique daily data set consisting of 4939 credit default swaps (CDS) of 70 banks from 25 countries over the period 2010–2019, we find that CCyB tightening decreases bank-level CDS spreads, while CCyB loosening increases CDS spreads. This heterogeneous effect of CCyB arises due to its asymmetric effect on the capital ratio (i.e., the equity-to-total assets ratio) of banks. Tightening CCyB significantly increases capital, whereas loosening CCyB does not impact capital. Thus, the risks that emanate from the banking sector during periods of heightened uncertainty and financial distress can be significantly dampened when CCyB regulation is enabled. Consequently, macro-prudential policies for banks to hold higher levels of capital during good times are justified to contain financial market risks during downturns.     

Does interest rate and its volatility affect banking sector development? Empirical evidence from emerging market economies

This study investigates the relationship between interest rate, interest rate volatility, and banking sector development in 12 emerging market economies located around the world. For this purpose, panel data analysis was conducted using annual data from 1980 to 2014. In parallel to the financial development literature, which asserts that banking sector development, as a broad and complex concept, cannot be measured by a single indicator, this study adopts a set of measures of banking sector development. The empirical results reveal that while interest rate has a positive impact on all banking sector indicators, this relationship weakens at higher interest levels, showing a concave relationship between interest rate and banking sector development. In addition, the empirical results provide evidence that interest rate fluctuations have a negative impact on most banking sector development (BSD) indicators, suggesting that the banking sectors of emerging countries are vulnerable to interest rate risks. Furthermore, all measures of the banking sector indicators are positively affected by economic growth rates, while this association weakens at higher levels of income, confirming a nonlinear relationship. Thus, the results have important implications for policymakers in improving the banking system and promoting the economic growth of these emerging economies.     

Has Finance Made the World Riskier?

Developments in the financial sector have led to an expansion in its ability to spread risks. The increase in the risk bearing capacity of economies, as well as in actual risk taking, has led to a range of financial transactions that hitherto were not possible, and has created much greater access to finance for firms and households. On net, this has made the world much better off. Concurrently, however, we have also seen the emergence of a whole range of intermediaries, whose size and appetite for risk may expand over the cycle. Not only can these intermediaries accentuate real fluctuations, they can also leave themselves exposed to certain small probability risks that their own collective behaviour makes more likely. As a result, under some conditions, economies may be more exposed to financial‐sector‐induced turmoil than in the past. The paper discusses the implications for monetary policy and prudential supervision. In particular, it suggests market‐friendly policies that would reduce the incentive of intermediary managers to take excessive risk.     

Sovereign bond markets and financial stability in an emerging economy: an application of directed acyclic graphs and SVAR models

During the last two decades, domestic government bond markets have developed significantly in emerging economies. Although the financial sector has benefited accordingly, volatility in this market also has posed potential risks in terms of financial stability. This paper uses directed acyclic graphs and structural vector-autoregressive models to evaluate the impact of different shocks on both the public debt market and financial stability. Results suggest that inflation, the policy interest rate and indicators of risk perception are the variables that most affect the slope of the yield curve. In turn, when the slope increases, there is a positive contemporary effect on bank risk indicators.     

How effective are macroprudential policies? An empirical investigation

In recent years, policymakers have generally relied on macroprudential policies to address financial stability concerns. However, our understanding of these policies and their efficacy is limited. In this paper, we construct a novel index of macroprudential policies in 57 advanced and emerging economies covering the period from 2000:Q1 to 2013:Q4, with tightenings and easings recorded separately. The effectiveness of these policies in curbing credit growth and house price appreciation is then assessed using a dynamic panel data model. The main findings of the paper are: (1) Macroprudential policies have been used far more actively after the global financial crisis in both advanced and emerging economies. (2) These policies have primarily targeted the housing sector, especially in the advanced economies. (3) Macroprudential policies are usually changed in tandem with bank reserve requirements, capital flow restrictions, and monetary policy. (4) Our analysis suggests that macroprudential tightening is associated with lower bank credit growth, housing credit growth, and house price appreciation. (5) Targeted policies – for example, those specifically intended to limit house price appreciation – seem to be more effective, especially in economies where bank finance is important.     

Effectiveness of Macroprudential Policies in Developing Asia: An Empirical Analysis

Before the 2008 global financial crisis, bank monitoring focused primarily on risks to individual institutions, or what are generally referred to as prudential risks. Regulators thus failed to consider that a buildup of macroeconomic risks and vulnerabilities could pose systemic risk to the financial sector. The global credit crisis showed the inadequacy of purely prudential surveillance systems and the need for bank supervisors to better detect the buildup of macroeconomic risks before they can threaten the financial system. This article presents an empirical framework for analyzing how effectively macroprudential policies control credit growth, leverage growth, and housing price appreciation. Two significant findings emerge. Broadly, macroprudential policies can indeed promote financial stability in Asia. More specifically, different types of macroprudential policies are proved effective for different types of macroeconomic risks.     

Determinants of financial stress in emerging market economies

The global financial crisis of 2008–2009 illustrates how financial turmoil in advanced economies could trigger severe financial stress in emerging markets. Previous studies dealing with financial crises and contagion show the linkages through which financial stress are transmitted from advanced to emerging markets. This paper extends the existing literature on the use of financial stress index (FSI) in understanding the channels of financial transmission in emerging market economies. Using FSI of 25 emerging markets, our panel regression estimates show that not only advanced economies FSI, but also regional and nonregional emerging market FSIs significantly increase domestic financial stress. Our findings also suggest that there is a common regional factor significantly affecting domestic FSI in emerging Asia and emerging Europe. Furthermore, the results from a structural vector autoregression model with contemporaneous restrictions indicate that although a domestic financial shock still accounts for most of the variation in domestic FSI, regional shocks play an important role in emerging Asia.     

实体杠杆对经济增长的影响研究——基于金融稳定的调节效应

本文以全球43个国家和地区2001-2020年的动态面板数据为研究样本,实证检验不同实体部门杠杆对经济增长的影响差异及作用机制。通过构造金融稳定指数,进一步论证金融稳定对实体杠杆与经济增长之间关系的调节效应。结果表明:实体杠杆与经济增长之间存在“倒U形”关系,不同部门杠杆对经济增长影响的“拐点”有所不同。机制检验发现,居民杠杆、企业杠杆和政府杠杆分别通过“消费”“投资”和“政府支出”渠道影响经济增长;金融稳定性的提升能够正向调节实体杠杆对经济增长的影响,提高实体杠杆对经济增长影响的“拐点”。上述结论对我国经济增长和杠杆调控具有一定政策启示。在经济运行过程中,应充分考虑各部门杠杆异质性,细化实体杠杆的调控方向,进一步优化杠杆结构,以期实现经济增长与金融稳定双重目标下的动态平衡。     

宏观审慎与货币政策双支柱框架研究——基于系统性风险视角

本轮国际金融危机之后,建立“宏观审慎政策专门盯住金融稳定目标,货币政策主要关注经济稳定目标”的双支柱成为国际社会的普遍共识。本文基于系统性风险视角,深入剖析系统性风险的累积和实现机制,从时间和空间两个维度梳理宏观审慎政策实现金融稳定的有效性,以及货币政策对系统性风险造成的潜在溢出性。目前从系统性风险的时间维度探讨双支柱政策的研究已较为丰富,可以总结为宏观审慎政策的“逆周期调节”机制和货币政策的“资本缺口”机制。从系统性风险的空间维度探讨双支柱政策的研究,也即对双支柱政策如何作用和改变金融机构内部关联网络的研究正成为研究热点。本文从政策工具和影响机制上对空间维度双支柱政策进行了系统梳理。基于以上分析,本文对双支柱政策的制定提出如下建议:时间维度宏观审慎政策要关注并消除货币政策对时间维度系统性风险的溢出性,同时要加强空间维度宏观审慎政策工具的创新力度。     

The influence of marketing communications strategy on consumer purchasing behaviour in the financial services industry in an emerging economy

The financial services sector is characterised by a high level of consumer perceived risk and irrational behaviour in decision-making, which is predominantly influenced by the effect of communication and the application of heuristics as a function of communication in consumer decision-making. This situation promotes marketing communication as one of the most essential activities that financial institutions rely on to mitigate the perceived risks and to satisfy consumers’ quest in understanding financial products. Hence the importance of this research is to establish the effects of marketing communication on consumer purchasing behaviour in emerging economies that are experiencing expanded financial markets but limited corresponding research insight. To achieve the aim of this study, the research uses data from 360 customers of selected financial institutions in Ghana. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modelling technique. The results of the study reveal marketing communication strategies evaluated have positive and significant impacts on consumer purchase behaviour. However, amongst the marketing communication strategies tested advertising and celebrity endorsement were found to have an insignificant relationship with consumer purchase behaviour. The study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding the dynamics and nuances of the integrated marketing communication mix and how they influence the purchase behaviours of consumers.

     

Currency crises and monetary policy: A study on advanced and emerging economies

The studies regarding the appropriate monetary policy response in defending the domestic currency following a currency crisis do not gather around a robust answer. This study tries to emphasize the notion that there is no single policy applicable for all currency crises happened and happening in the global world. The approach of the study is presenting empirical evidence by focusing separately on the advanced and emerging economies and proving that the monetary policy response for the emerging economies should be different from the advanced economies, depending mainly on the vulnerabilities of these economies preceding and during the crisis periods. The study includes twenty four economies, in which fifteen of them are emerging and nine of them are advanced, for the crisis periods between 1986 and 2009. The main finding of the study is that the tight monetary policy is effective in the advanced economies, and detrimental in the emerging economies faced financial turbulence. The monetary policy has no significance in recent crisis episodes both for advanced and emerging economies. Advanced economies besides having more independent central banking, lower country riskiness and almost no default history; mainly have second generation model weaknesses which cause the increased interest rates to be successful in stabilizing the exchange rates. For the emerging economies the third generation model weaknesses play a major role together with the first generation model vulnerabilities. Thus the major policy implication follows that the policy makers should take into account the economic fragilities during the crisis in implementing the monetary policy.     

中国家庭偿债能力:衡量与影响因素

居民部门债务的快速增长和过度累积可能导致经济体系产生潜在的金融风险。本文以2011-2017年中国家庭金融调查(CHFS)数据为研究样本,选取了综合衡量家庭偿债能力的指标,并根据宏观层面的不良贷款率对该指标进行校准。进一步地,本文基于衡量结果分析了我国家庭偿债能力的影响因素。研究发现:第一,2011-2017年期间我国金融脆弱性家庭占比呈逐年上升趋势,且现阶段我国金融脆弱性家庭变动状况存在明显的人群异质性和地区异质性。应警惕居民部门杠杆率过快上升的透支效应和潜在风险,关注低收入家庭的偿债风险。第二,购房预期收益上升使家庭产生加杠杆行为,导致家庭过度负债从而使家庭偿债能力进一步恶化。本研究对我国居民部门的金融风险监测、评估和预警有一定启示。     

银行监管和股东属性对银行风险的影响——基于新兴经济体的监管数据分析

银行监管按世界银行的标准划分为总体监管和12类分项监管;银行大股东属性包括政府类、金融企业类、外资类等.总体监管可以有效地降低银行风险;大股东为工业类、金融类企业的银行能够更好地控制风险,而家族类银行的风险程度较高;通过对分项监管进行研究可以发现,加强对所有权、资本要求、经营活动限制、外部审计要求、流动性、存款保险制度、退出及监管效率八个方面的监管可降低银行总体风险,而加强准入、内部管理、资产分类配置、信息披露这四类监管反而会增加银行总体风险.     

The Impact of Deposit Dollarization on Financial Deepening

Banks in highly dollarized economies face risks that significantly affect their ability to perform their financial intermediation role. In these economies, dollarization plays a dual role: on the one hand, it provides a hedging instrument protecting the value of savings; on the other hand, it generates a currency mismatch on banks' balance sheets and increases default risk. Through these effects deposit dollarization can affect credit extension. This paper investigates the role of deposit dollarization on the financial depth of forty-four emerging market economies. Findings suggest that deposit dollarization has a consistent and negative impact on financial deepening, except in high-inflation economies.     

Central banks’ preferences and banking sector vulnerability

According to “Schwartz's conventional wisdom” and what has been called “divine coincidence”, price stability should imply macroeconomic and financial stability. However, in light of the global financial crisis, with monetary policy focused on price stability, scholars have held that banking and financial risks were largely unaddressed. According to this alternative view, the belief in divine coincidence turns out to be benign neglect. The objective of this paper is to test Schwartz's hypothesis against the benign neglect hypothesis. The priority assigned to the inflation goal is proxied by the central banks’ conservatism (CBC) index proposed by Levieuge and Lucotte (2014), here extended to a large sample of 73 countries from 1980 to 2012. Banking sector vulnerability is measured by six alternative indicators that are frequently employed in the literature on early warning systems. Our results indicate that differences in monetary policy preferences robustly explain cross-country differences in banking vulnerability and validate the benign neglect hypothesis, in that a higher level of CBC implies a more vulnerable banking sector.     

Default Predictors in Retail Credit Scoring: Evidence from Czech Banking Data

Credit to the private sector has risen rapidly in European emerging markets, but its risk evaluation has been largely neglected. Using retail-loan banking data from the Czech Republic, we construct two credit risk models based on logistic regression and classification and regression trees. Both methods are comparably efficient and detect similar financial and socioeconomic variables as the key determinants of default behavior. We also construct a model without the most important financial variable (amount of resources), which performs very well. This way, we confirm significance of sociodemographic variables and link our results with specific issues characteristic to new EU members.     

基于Logistic回归法的商业银行财务风险预警模型研究

商业银行的稳定健康直接关系到金融体系的稳定和国家经济的发展乃至国家安全。本文在对商业银行财务风险进行深入分析的基础上,通过比较＂经营稳健的商业银行＂和＂经营出现财务风险的商业银行＂在资本充足性、信用、盈利能力、流动性和发展能力五个方面存在显著性差异的指标,采用Logistic回归法构建了一个多指标综合监控的银行财务风险测度模型,以期能够有效地识别风险,通过事前控制确保商业银行的健康稳定发展,平抑经济波动,为实现国民经济的良性循环奠定基础,最终促进我国国民经济沿着良好的态势发展。