The single market and EMS instability

The following analysis of the 1992/93 crisis of the European Monetary System finds that the unfolding of the single market dynamics will make European Monetary Union a difficult stage to achieve. Further monetary integration is only feasible if full employment and sustained growth are achieved in the EC. The Maastricht Treaty needs some add-ons if economic and monetary union is to succeed.     

Measuring financial market integration in the European Union: EU15 vs. New Member States

This paper quantifies financial market integration in the European Union, using a large array of credit and bond market indicators, stock market indicators, as well as indicators based on household and firm decisions. It focuses on comparing the evolution of the European Union before the Eastern enlargement (EU15) with that of the 12 New Member States (NMS) that joined after 2000. It documents improvements in the integration of the credit and bond markets as well as stock markets for both groups within the EU27, the heightened heterogeneity brought about by the NMS, but also a reversal of the integration process over the recent years (corresponding to the financial crisis), divergence disrupting both the EU15 core and the NMS. For all the decades of achievements within both the EU15 and NMS groups in terms of credit and stock market integration, the ultimate goals of financial market integration, perfect capital mobility and full international risk sharing remain out of reach.     

A Quantitative Assessment of the Finance–Growth–Innovation Nexus in EEA Countries: Evidence from a Multivariate VECM

This paper uses country-level data of European Economic Area countries between 1989 and 2016 to examine the interactions between economic growth, innovation, and financial market activities, with specific reference to the bond and insurance markets. Our intent is to know whether causality runs among these variables both ways, or not at all. Using a vector error correction model, the study finds that financial market activities and economic growth determine innovation activities in these countries. Additionally, the study also finds bidirectional Granger causality between financial market activities and economic growth, as well as between innovation activities and economic growth.     

1992: State of play

Now past the halfway point for establishing a single market by 1992, the 12 member states of the European Economic Community are pausing to review the progress. What has been accomplished so far? And what remains to be done? The answers to these questions are outlined, providing background to the most important question: How will your organization be affected?     

20 Jahre Binnenmarkt

In 1992 the European Single Market was to have been completed. But there is still no truly integrated market in many fields — the EC has to overcome many obstacles yet to make this happen. Based on different EU integration indexes, it is shown that internal market integration has developed since the introduction of the euro. At the same time, the internal market linkages are different from country to country. Internal — but also external - trade and wealth have grown. However, whether there would have been more or less success without the internal market is a question that must be answered. A single market probably does not require a common currency.     

An Asian Currency Unit: Simulations for Its Effects on East Asia

An Asian currency unit (ACU) is necessary to deepen Asian financial markets and to convert national currencies into a single monetary policy. However, the experiences of the European Currency Unit and the European Exchange Rate Mechanism crisis in 1992–93 have indicated the danger of the so‐called gradual approach. This study evaluates the effects of welfare should the ACU indicator become a long‐term constraint of the People's Republic of China and Japan, the big two in East Asia. Our results indicate that the constraints of countries’ own baskets (e.g. real effective exchange rates) are still better before the launch of a true single currency. That is, pegging to an ACU indicator could hardly be sustained in the long‐run if East Asian countries have not reached a consensus about a regional monetary union.     

Kapitalmarktunion — bisher hohe Persistenz der Finanzsysteme

In 2015, the European Commission announced that it would push to create a European wide capital market union to support economic growth and financial stability in Europe. The agenda of the EU Commission is ambitious, because the success of such a plan would transform the European financial systems, most of which are still much more reliant on banks than on financial markets, as opposed to the US, for example. A cluster analysis shows, however, that national financial systems are resistant to change, which can only be implemented in the long run. Nevertheless, the past 20 years have seen financial markets gaining more importance for all economies.     

Policy implications

Abstract: In the European Union, the framework of financial services legislation at EU level has been aimed primarily at forming a single market for banks, insurers and other financial services firms. Substantial progress has been made towards this objective. Also, the EU initiatives have stimulated a reappraisal of national regulatory systems. Most of this EU legislation (with the exception of the consumer credit directives) has not had consumer protection as one of its main aims, although it has been assumed that consumers will eventually benefit from a wide choice of financial services providers and from price competition. However, partly in response to consumer pressure, the European Commission is developing a set of initiatives more closely geared to protecting consumers’ interests. Within the context of the EU’s approach, there remain considerable variations in the approach to protecting consumers’ interests in different member states as a result of legal and cultural differences.     

The implications of 1992 for financial management

With the process of integration gathering momentum all the time, the implications of 1992 for the European financial sector merit special attention.     

Southern Europe facing the single market’s completion

The European Community is now starting the final run-up towards the completion of the single internal market by the end of 1992 and member countries are currently involved in consultations at inter-governmental conferences on the creation of economic and monetary union, and on political union. This provides an appropriate opportunity of looking at what belonging to the Community has meant so far to its new members of Greece, Portugal and Spain, and at what their chances are for the future in the light of these developments. What have their entry into the EC and the Single European Act meant to Greece, Portugal and Spain, and what lessons ought to be learned from that?     

VaR在我国商业银行市场风险管理中的应用研究

VaR是当前国际主流的市场风险计量工具。由于我国金融市场与西方成熟金融市场存在着很多差异,我国商业银行运用VaR计量金融市场风险时面临许多约束条件,目前国内现有的VaR体系在风险管理过程中仅起参考作用,尚未真正用于决策。为提高自身的风险管理水平,银行应聘请业内和学术界的专家对有关部门的领导和业务人员进行培训,从外界吸收专业的风险管理人才,为将来更好地开展风险计量工作作好人才储备;重视数据积累,加紧完善风险管理数据库,为风险管理信息系统有效运转提供数据支持;在对单一风险来源的金融产品尝试开展风险计量工作的基础上,对同时受多种风险因素影响的金融产品和多种资产构成的组合及二级金融衍生产品开展风险计量工作。     

Europe prepares for a single financial market

A single market in financial services has long been an objective of the European Union. In 1999, the Commission launched the Financial Services Action Plan (FSAP), an ambitious programme to integrate capital markets by 2005. This article gives an overview of the progress made so far and the tasks which still need to be tackled.     

The impact of banking behaviour on monetary strategy in Europe

Over the last twenty years, the process of European integration, and improvements in the processing and transmission of information, have meant that the European financial system has become less bank-based and more market-based. This trend has been reinforced by the transition to a single European currency. European banks are now increasingly expanding into asset management as well as the consulting business. What are the consequences of this for the effectiveness of European monetary policy? How should the ECB react?     

The Competitiveness of European Financial Markets

The countries that together make up the euro area are undergoing a process of far-reaching change, with established national financial markets merging into one new European market accompanied by deregulation, cross-border consolidation, and increased competition within the euro area. These developments will help to increase longterm economic growth and will have a strong bearing on the international competitiveness of the European financial sector, leading to innovation and modernisation. This paper presents the underlying rationale of financial integration and increased competitiveness of European financial markets and provides a snapshot of where financial integration has been successful and where work is ongoing. It also notes important historical experiences of U.S. financial integration. It concludes by highlighting the role and recent activities of the European Central Bank and the Eurosystem in promoting and enhancing further financial integration. JEL Classification F15, G15     

Europe and the joint venture frenzy

As the European community draws nearer to unifying its markets by 1992, smart American companies are entering into joint ventures with European firms. For these companies, digging a foothold into what will be the world's largest market is just too crucial to put off to a later date.     

信用衍生品CDO对金融市场稳定性的影响研究

文章主要研究欧洲信用衍生产品CDO(Collateralized Debt Obligation,担保债务凭证)的发行对金融市场稳定性的影响.文章对CDO的发行量、市场波动率及欧洲6月期无风险利率与金融市场稳定性的关系采用联合极值的方法,建立泊松计数模型,并做实证分析,结果显示:金融中介之间的联动效应会增加金融市场的系统性风险;CDO发行量仅与负的联合极值显著正相关,表明CDO发行量越大对金融稳定性冲击越大.CDO发行量与正的联合极值不相关,说明CDO对银行进行风险管理的积极作用有限.此外,信息不对称程度及无风险利率也会对金融市场的稳定性产生影响.     

The Information Society – the EU Framework

On January 1 1998, the crucial European Commission Directive concerning full competition in telecommunications markets comes into force. In this abridged version of the last of the 1997 Stockton Lectures, the Member of the Commission who was responsible for it outlines the route to its implementation. This story is part of the broader issue of the way the European Union (EU) has approached the questions raised by the evolving information society. Starting with the establishment of the internal single European market in 1992, the author traces the elimination of public monopolies in telecommunications, the Commission's changing approach to regulation and the way that public fears have been allayed by use of pilot projects. He then examines the significance of technological convergence and globalisation for economics, politics and culture.     

Protectionism—A necessary price for achieving the European internal market?

Trade policy will have to be unifled if the member states of the European Community are to achieve their declared objective of creating a homogeneous internal European market by the year 1992. On what principles should such a Community trade policy be based?     

Liberalisation of the internal market: Efficiency advantages and requirements

The expected welfare effects of the completion of the internal European market by 1992 will differ markedly from one member country to another. What requirements must be met for liberalisation of the internal market? How could the disparities in the distribution of welfare effects be lessened?     

The financing of the community after the Edinburgh European Council

At its Edinburgh meeting on 11th and 12th December 1992 the European Council came to a number of conclusions regarding the future financing of the Community. The following article examines the implications of the new financial perspective.