The Impact of Macroeconomic Risk on Asset Prices in Ghana, 1997–2002

Abstract: The dwindling nature of overseas development assistance in the early part of the 1990s called for the establishment of capital markets in some African countries, including Ghana, with the view to increasing foreign direct investments and achieving sustainable inflows, growth and development. One important factor which affects the determination of prices and the growth of capital markets is macroeconomic risk which is quite high in developing countries. Following works done on advanced stock markets, this study seeks to investigate the impact of six macroeconomic risk factors on asset pricing in the various industrial classification — financial, manufacturing, food and beverages, distribution and mining under the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) for the period January 1997 to December 2002. Using the arbitrage pricing methodology developed by Ross (1976) and Chen et al. (1986) , the study revealed that investors in Ghana considered three main macroeconomic risk factors — short‐term interest rate risk, inflation risk and the term structure of the country's interest rate in the determination of the various industrial asset prices during the period under consideration. Analysis of the risks and returns profile of the industries also shows that financial assets made the best gains on the market. Both general and specific policy recommendations aimed at improving the performance of the GSE are explored.     

Sovereign Risk Premia and the International Balance Sheet: Lessons from the European Crisis

The external dimension has emerged as an important factor in the euro debt crisis. The crisis has also shown that fluctuations in risk premia can be dramatic. We investigate the relevance of the net international investment position for sovereign risk perception and the role of market uncertainty in this relation. Furthermore, we ask whether the composition of net external assets, in terms of debt and equity instruments, is relevant in explaining sovereign risk premia and their fluctuations in time. We find that both public debt and NIIP are subject to fluctuations in risk premia; the external variable is more sensitive to the uncertainty of future expectations, and net external debt is what drives this result. Net foreign debt liabilities are associated with a lower government bond yield spread when market optimism justifies their presence with high future growth patterns; however, it becomes an important risk factor for sovereigns when global uncertainty increases and the capacity to repay foreign debt becomes a concern. Portfolio equity and FDI are related to sovereign risk in a stable manner, while a given amount of net external debt can be associated with government yield spread spikes as high as 4 %.     

Intraday effects of macroeconomic shocks on the US Dollar–Euro exchange rates

This paper characterizes the intriguing features of high frequency 15-min Dollar–Euro foreign exchange returns data. The FIGARCH model is found to be the preferred specification for the long memory volatility process in the high frequency returns. This paper then examines how macroeconomic shocks affect the high frequency Dollar–Euro returns on an intraday basis. Quantifying the intraday effects of the shocks on the high frequency returns by using a linearly distributed lag dummy variable, this paper finds that the effects on the high frequency returns are generally statistically significant and that they appear to be asymmetric depending on the regions and the signs of the shocks and to be persistent for several lags even within a day. However, the macroeconomic shocks are found not to affect the long memory property in the high frequency returns implying that the linear dummy variable model may not be enough to explain the long memory property.     

中国外汇储备积累实证研究

为了深刻理解我国外汇储备增长的原因并找出应对策略,本文用向量自回归方法研究了外汇储备积累的原因和机制。实证结果表明,中国实际利率高于外国、货币贬值、经济增长都是导致外汇储备增加的原因。短期内,实际利差、实际汇率、经济增长是影响外汇储备积累的主要因素;而在长期,开放度是影响外汇储备积累的决定性因素,这意味着国内贸易政策比经济活动对外汇储备积累有着更深层次的影响。其政策含义是:缓解外汇储备剧增对经济活动带来的不利影响,重要的是调整出口导向、吸引外资、结售汇等贸易政策,而非人民币升值。     

Inflationary shocks and real output growth in nine Muslim-majority countries: Implications for Islamic banking and finance

Low and stable inflation is important for maintaining the viability of Islamic banking and finance within a dual banking system. Inflationary shocks when transmitted to real output growth cause a shift of investment to fixed return products as a hedge against the uncertainty of returns on equity investment under Islamic profit-loss sharing contracts. This study examines the transmission of inflationary shocks to the real economy for nine Muslim-majority countries (Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) that have introduced Islamic banking, all except Iran within dual-banking systems. A structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) framework is deployed to understand macroeconomic relationships using annual data from the late 1970s to 2014. The key finding is that inflationary shocks affect real interest and exchange rates which in turn impact real output growth. The paper argues that the absorption of inflationary shocks in real interest and exchange rates is the outcome of rigidities in nominal interest and exchange rates within repressed financial systems. Policy regimes that allow for greater adjustment in nominal interest and exchange rates under a deregulated financial system would offer better shock absorption capacity which would lead to less volatility in inflation, real interest and exchange rates, and real output growth. The resulting more stable macroeconomic environment would be more conducive to the development of an Islamic financial sector that would promote economic growth.     

Can systemic risk measures predict economic shocks? Evidence from China

In this paper, we investigate how the systemic risk affects macroeconomic activity in China and examines the forecasting power of 12 different measures of systemic risk. Quantile regression is employed to capture the nonlinear relationship between the systemic risk and the distribution of future macroeconomic shocks. We find that the systemic risk skews the distribution of future shocks, which cannot be identified in the central tendency analysis within the traditional linear regression. In particular, when the systemic risk builds up, the risk of severe economic downturns increases while the risk of moderate economic downturns barely changes. When comparing the forecasting power of different systemic risk measures, we use both a fixed rolling window and a time-varying method to make the result robust. We find that, of the 12 widely used measures, 8 demonstrate significant predictability for subsequent shocks to economic growth in China and can thus serve as early warning signals.     

Do Monetary Policy Announcements Affect Exchange Rate Returns and Volatility of Returns? Some Evidence from High‐Frequency Intra‐Day South African Data

This paper examines the temporal effect of domestic monetary policy surprises on both returns and volatility of returns of the South African rand/U.S. dollar exchange rate. The analysis in this “event study” proceeds using intra‐day minute‐by‐minute exchange rate data, repo rate data from the South African Reserve Bank's scheduled monetary policy announcements, and market consensus repo rate forecasts. A carefully selected sample over the period August 2003 to November 2017 ensures that the change in monetary policy is exogenous to the exchange rate. We find statistically and economically significant responses in intra‐day high‐frequency South African rand/U.S. dollar exchange rate returns and volatility of exchange rate returns to domestic interest rate surprises, but anticipated changes have no bearing on exchange rate returns and their volatility. The empirical results also indicate that there is an instantaneous response of the rand/dollar exchange rate to monetary policy surprises and that monetary policy news is an important determinant of the exchange rate until at least 42 minutes after the pronouncement – suggesting a high degree of market “efficiency” in its mechanical sense (although not necessarily in the deeper economic‐informational sense) in processing this information. Essentially, the asymmetric GARCH results exhibit no leverage effects – positive and negative information shocks have symmetric effects on conditional variance.     

International macroeconomic announcements and intraday euro exchange rate volatility

The short-run reaction of Euro returns volatility to a wide range of macroeconomic announcements is investigated using 5-min returns for spot Euro–Dollar, Euro–Sterling and Euro–Yen exchange rates. The marginal impact of each individual macroeconomic announcement on volatility is isolated whilst controlling for the distinct intraday volatility pattern, calendar effects, and a latent, longer run volatility factor simultaneously. Macroeconomic news announcements from the US are found to cause the vast majority of the statistically significant responses in volatility, with US monetary policy and real activity announcements causing the largest reactions of volatility across the three rates. ECB interest rate decisions are also important for all three rates, whilst UK Industrial Production and Japanese GDP cause large responses for the Euro–Sterling and Euro–Yen rates, respectively. Additionally, forward looking indicators and regional economic surveys, the release timing of which is such that they are the first indicators of macroeconomic performance that traders observe for a particular month, are also found to play a significant role.     

非洲贸易与风险管理

本文讨论了两个层次的问题:一、非洲贸易及其存在的风险。二、如何管理和防范狭义的外汇风险(交易风险、折算风险以及经营风险或者经济风险)以及广义外汇风险中的国家风险、信用风险以及流动性风险等。特别是信用风险的管理与防范已经成为一个战略性和决定性的重大课题。     

Uganda: Constraints on Economic Growth

Abstract: This paper utilizes a three-gap model to evaluate the three macroeconomic constraints, domestic saving, foreign exchange and public sector resource availability, faced by Uganda as it attempts to rehabilitate and reconstruct its war-shattered economy. Using 1987 as a base year, the resulting three-gap equations demonstrate a sharp trade off between investment (economic growth) and capacity utilization under foreign exchange constraint. The model is simulated over the period 1988–92–a period closely corresponds to the Uganda's structural adjustment facility program as well as for the period 1993–97. The size of the foreign exchange gap, $634 and $545 per year during the first and second five years period, illustrates quite vividly the centrality of the foreign exchange constraint facing the Ugandan economy. The results also show that fiscal balances are not going to be restored before 1993.     

Globalization,transparency and economic growth: The vulnerability of Chinese firms to macroeconomic shocks

The process of globalization encompasses economic and financial integration. The abolition of capital controls and the dismantling of barriers of different kinds will expose previously sheltered companies to shocks originating in the global economic arena. Policy-makers in already globalized countries have learned that market participants should be prepared in due time to meet the new exposure to fluctuating rates of exchange, interest and inflation. China has recently adopted a version of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in an effort to improve the quality of information available for risk management and for pricing of risk. This paper analyzes the gains in transparency from the implementation of IFRS in Europe as of January 2005 and reports no improvements in regard to the macroeconomic impact on firms. Based on this experience, improvements for Chinese adoption are suggested. The paper presents a framework for how to understand and measure the impact of different scenarios on corporate performance. It also elaborates on how to communicate the macroeconomic effects to external stakeholders of the firm in a way that should foster further economic growth in China.     

中国商业银行信用风险宏观压力测试

本文用Logit模型将贷款损失率转化为金融稳定性综合指标,并以此作为被解释变量,以CPI、GDP和利率等宏观经济因素作为被解释变量进行回归分析,并做出各宏观经济因素的预测模型。在此基础上,对下一期的相应经济数据进行预测,并对下一期经济分别受各项宏观经济变量极端可信冲击下进行压力测试。研究结果显示,以上三种宏观经济因素对贷款损失率影响显著,其系数的经济意义也与现实相符。此外,根据模型的回归结果显示,关于利率的研究部分准确验证了我国利率的产出经济效应和货币政策的时滞期。本文为政府降低贷款损失率,提高金融稳定性而进行系统的宏观经济调控提供定性和定量的参考建议。     

资本账户开放风险与对策研究

伴随着经济金融全球化推进,资本账户开放已成为一个国家在推动经济发展和强化对外交流中不可或缺的关键环节。但资本账户开放往往也会给开放国的金融秩序、货币汇率、对外贸易造成一定风险和挑战。本文指出资本账户开放可能导致开放国短期宏观经济过热、投机资本过度涌入等问题,并有针对性地提出保持稳定连续的宏观经济政策、实行富有弹性的汇率政策等对策。     

Surges and stops in greenfield and M&A FDI flows to developing countries: analysis by mode of entry

This paper investigates the factors associated with foreign direct investment “surges” and “stops”, defined as sharp increases and decreases, respectively, of foreign direct investment inflows to the developing world and differentiated based on whether these events are led by waves in greenfield investments or mergers and acquisitions. Greenfield-led surges and stops occur more frequently than mergers-and-acquisitions-led ones and different factors are associated with the onset of the two types of events. Global liquidity is the factor significantly and positively associated with a surge, regardless of its kind, while a global economic growth slowdown and a surge in the preceding year are the main factors associated with a stop. Greenfield-led surges and stops are more likely in low-income countries and mergers-and-acquisitions-led surges are less likely in resource-rich countries than elsewhere in the developing world. Global growth accelerations and increases in financial openness, domestic economic and financial instability are associated with mergers-and-acquisitions-led surges but not with greenfield-led ones. These results are particularly relevant for developing countries where FDI flows are the major type of capital flows and suggest that developing countries’ macroeconomic vulnerability increases following periods of increased global liquidity. As countries develop they typically become more exposed to merger-and-acquisition-led surges, which are more likely than greenfield-led surges and stops to be short-lived and associated with domestic macroeconomic policies.     

An Empirical Analysis on Capital Flows: The Case of Korea and Mexico

This paper discusses causes of capital flows in Korea and Mexico. Both countries received substantial amounts of foreign capital in the late 1980s and early 1990s. International capital helped these countries achieve a higher standard of living and faster economic growth. However, undesirable macroeconomic effects such as appreciation of real exchange rate and widening current account deficits usually accompany foreign capital inflows. The vector autoregressive (VAR) method is applied to investigate the underlying shocks causing the capital inflows. The main findings are that the U.S. business cycle and shocks to foreign interest rates account for more than 50% of capital inflows to both countries in the past two decades.     

Customers’ Risk Factor Disclosures and Suppliers’ Investment Efficiency

This study examines the effect of downstream firms’ (i.e., customers’) risk factor disclosures contained in annual reports on the investment efficiency of upstream firms (i.e., suppliers). We find that more informative disclosures of customers’ risk factors are associated with less under‐ or overinvestment by suppliers. In addition, this inverse association is stronger when the suppliers are at a bargaining disadvantage, when they operate in the durable goods industries, and when they are more concerned about the volatility of future demand. Overall, our results suggest that risk factor disclosures provided by firms in their annual reports contain useful information that could potentially help their suppliers achieve better investment efficiency. Divulgation d'information sur les facteurs de risque des clients et efficience de l'investissement des fournisseurs     

Business Cycle in China since the Lehman Crisis： Interaction among Macroeconomic Policy,Economic Growth and Inflation

The major objectives of China＇s macroeconomic policy are to stabilize economic growth and inflation, which, in turn, are important factors determining key prices, such as the policy interest rate, the renminbi exchange rate and stockprices. In a framework that distinguishes different phases of the business cycle based on whether the current period＇s economic growth rate and inflation rate are above or below their ＂＇normal＂ values, this paper analyzes the interaction among macroeconomic policy, economic growth and inflation in China since the Lehman crisis, and the implications for these key prices. The path of China＇s economy indicates that stimulus measures taken by the government during the recession phase and tightening measures implemented during the overheating phase have helped minimize the fluctuation over the business cycle. Our analysis shows that Chinese authorities tend to rely more on adjusting the exchange rate than the interest rate to stabilize the economy. Comparing with conditions at the time of the post-Lehman recession, the current slowpace of economie growth in China may reflect not only weakening demand, but also a lowerpotential growth rate associated with the arrival of the Lewis turning point.     

Is the emergence of new sovereign wealth funds a fashion phenomenon?

The paper deals with the important financial policy issue of the decision for a country to establish a sovereign wealth fund (SWF). Using a large-scale database, we analyze the economic, political and institutional factors that should be considered in such a decision. In particular, we test if the emergence of SWFs and more specifically of a specific type of SWFs can be explained by the following factors: the excess foreign exchange reserves due to natural resources rents or persistent current account surpluses; the volatility of commodity prices; the appreciation of the real exchange rate leading to the “Dutch Disease” effect and the governance of the country. The results suggest that countries with excess foreign exchange reserves, which are dependent on a commodity and which suffer from an appreciation of the real exchange rate are more likely to create a fund. We also find that commodity-based funds tend to be established in low democratic countries. Finally, our results suggest that the factors driving SWFs creation are different depending on the origin of the funding (commodity or non-commodity) and the macroeconomic objective(s) assigned to the fund. Our results may be of interest for policymakers debating whether or not it can be optimal for the country to establish a SWF.     

晴天送伞,雨天收伞——对金融摩擦、信贷周期和企业融资难问题的分析

微观层面上,商业银行有着“晴天送伞,雨天收伞”的行为特征;而在宏观层面上,银行信贷也存在明显的顺周期性特征。本文构建了一个带有金融摩擦的新凯恩斯主义DSGE模型,把对宏观经济现象的分析建立在坚实的微观基础之上,从而将上述两者纳入到一个统一的分析框架之内。此外,本文还运用我国的实际经济数据对模型中的结构参数进行贝叶斯估计,并对模型中的主要经济变量和外生冲击做了脉冲响应函数分析。研究发现：微观层面上,商业银行的信贷紧缩和扩张行为是其在金融市场存在信息不对称问题下的理性决策;宏观层面上,银行信贷的顺周期性是由于存在金融摩擦所导致的;在如今经济增速下行阶段,风险冲击增强了银行的惜贷慎贷情绪,加剧了企业融资难问题。最后,本文根据模型模拟为如何缓解企业融资难问题提出了一些实际的可操作的政策建议。     

On the determinants of capital flight from Russia

The paper addresses the problem of defining and assessing the scale of capital flight from Russia and of briefly reviewing the channels through which capital, both of legal and illegal origin, illegally leaves Russia. It then highlights the determinants of Russian capital flight, as the traditional view of a reaction to divergences among real domestic and foreign returns and to economic and political risks proves inadequate. More important factors are linked to specific features of the transition process under way, that is macroeconomic instability and variability of government policies, weak protection of property rights and savings, a fragile banking system limiting access to investment finance, high and unevenly enforced taxes, a large share of unofficial activities, and considerable levels of corruption.