Credit Default Swaps: Risk Hedge or Financial Weapon of Mass Destruction?

Credit default swaps (CDSs) are contracts between buyers and sellers of protection against default. They are a form of debt insurance, or more precisely derivatives contracts that investors buy to either insure against or profit from a default. In this way CDS contracts act as a form of debt insurance in that they provide a means of protection against credit risk. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the CDS earned the reputation of a ‘financial weapon of mass destruction’. Why? Is this charge justified? This paper shows that the reality is more complex: CDSs carry benefit as well as costs, and the risks associated with them can be mitigated through prudent supervision.     

Does bank capitalization matter for bank stock returns?

We examine US bank capitalization and its association with bank stock returns, and find that the book- and market-based capital ratios show different patterns. Fama-MacBeth regressions and portfolio analyses suggest that banks’ market-based capital ratios are negatively associated with banks’ stock returns during the (tranquil) 1994–2007 period while book-based capital ratios are positively associated with banks’ stock returns during the (turbulent) 2008–2014 period. These results suggest that the effect of bank capitalization on bank stock returns depends on the capital measure used and the period considered.     

扩大对外开放背景下中国银行业系统性风险的预警与防范

2017年以来,中央释放出继续扩大金融开放的政策信号,其中银行业已取消外资持股比例限制。但是,在重视改革开放“红利”的同时,有必要对开放条件下的潜在风险做出预警和防范。回顾国内外银行业对外开放的经验与教训,本文认为对外开放尚不构成威胁金融安全的实质性风险,但为了与开放政策相适应,应构建安全审查机制等“第二道防线”;审视内部,银行业表外风险叠加或可引发明斯基时刻,为此,应切实严格管控影子银行,要求银行业提高自身竞争力与稳健运营水平,防止爆发系统性风险。     

影子银行体系与金融危机

影子银行的异军突起、飞速发展,给美国和国际金融市场带来了高度的繁荣.由于影子银行的高杠杆贷款操作以及影子银行体系内生的脆弱性,成为引发当前全球性金融危机的重要因素.影子银行体系的教训给我国金融业提供了重要的启示,即我国金融业应循序渐进地推动金融产品创新,注重防范金融风险;金融监管机构应对金融机构及金融活动实行全面的监管.     

Why Does the Negotiable Certificate of Deposit Matter for Chinese Banking?

The Negotiable Certificate of Deposit (NCD) is a major financial instrument in China; the value of outstanding Chinese NCDs was approximately RMB8 trillion (equivalent to USD1.2 trillion) in mid‐2017. This article reviews the most recent developments in the Chinese NCD, including its effect on interest rate pass‐through and money creation. Empirical results show that the introduction of the NCD in 2014 influenced the relationship between the policy rate and the lending rate of Chinese commercial banks, and the interest rate pass‐through from the policy rate to the lending rate of commercial banks improved subsequently. However, this process has also been accompanied by maturity mismatch, increasing leverage, and decreasing credit ratings for the assets of banks and other financial institutions. Consequently, systemic risk in the Chinese banking system has increased.     

浅谈我国商业银行信贷风险及其管理

在当前的国际金融形式之下,我国商业银行信贷风险尤为突出。因而加强商业银行的风险管理成为金融机构管理的重中之重。本文着重分析了我国当下商业银行信贷风险管理存在的问题,并针对这些问题相应地提出了一些加强我国商业银行信贷风险的管理措施。     

MODELS OF BANKING INSTABILITY: A PARTIAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract. This paper critically examines the theoretical literature on banking instability that has followed Diamond and Dybvig (1983). It explores the extent to which it (a) explains banking instability within a theoretical context in which financial intermediaries improve on unintermediated markets, and (b) justifies government involvement in the financial intermediation industry. It suggests that the literature has yet to provide a satisfactory theoretical basis for banking instability as such since the intermediaries which arise from it are peculiar mutual funds that bear little resemblance to real-world banks. In addition, the paper challenges the widespread belief that this literature provides a sound foundation for government involvement in the industry. It suggests that arguments for government intervention are open to objection on various grounds, the most important one being that they are inconsistent with the existence of properly motivated financial intermediation in these models.     

Evaluating the multi-dimensional view of employee commitment: a comparative UK–Chinese study

This study evaluates the contribution of the multiple constituencies of commitment framework to the explanation of work attitudes and behaviours among samples of manufacturing workers in the United Kingdom (UK) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Our findings suggest that the organization, the supervisor, co-workers and the union were seen by respondents as separate commitment foci. Consistent with the ‘compatibility hypothesis’, the relationship between commitment and outcome was stronger where the constituency focus was matched. However, the ‘cultural hypothesis’, on the greater salience of person- or group-based commitments in the PRC context, was generally not accepted. The findings are discussed in the light of the comparative cultural and industrial relations contexts of the two countries.     

Should banks diversify or focus? Know thyself: The role of abilities

The paper investigates whether diversification/focus across assets, industries and borrowers affects bank performance when banks’ abilities (screening and monitoring) are considered. The initial results show that diversification (focus) at the asset, industry and borrower levels is expected to decrease (increase) returns. However, once banks’ screening and monitoring abilities are controlled for, the effect of diversification/focus either gets weaker or disappears. Further, in some cases, these abilities enhance banks’ long-run performance, but in others they prove to be costly, at least, in the short run. Thus, the level of monitoring and screening abilities should be taken into consideration in understanding, planning and implementing diversification/focus strategies.     

影子银行规模、房地产价格与金融稳定性

近年来,影子银行规模膨胀、房地产泡沫是影响中国金融稳定性的重要因素。本文基于多个衡量金融稳定性的基础指标,运用主成分分析法确定了金融稳定性指标。进而运用时变参数向量自回归模型,针对中国2008年1月—2016年12月的相关经济数据,实证研究了影子银行规模与房地产价格对金融稳定性的影响机制。研究结果显示：房地产价格和影子银行规模相互促进,彼此的膨胀都会对金融体系的稳定产生显著的不利影响。鉴于此,中国现阶段应加强对影子银行进行监管,并积极采取政策措施以抑制房地产价格持续快速上涨,除此以外,还应采取疏堵结合的方式来抑制影子银行规模与房地产价格相互促进的效应,以维护中国金融体系的稳定。