The transmission mechanism of monetary policy: Microeconomic aspects of macroeconomic issues

The article analyzes the transmission mechanism of monetary policy in light of microeconomic theory. We address the influence of microeconomic factors on the transmission of monetary policy while taking into account the contributions of conventional price formation and competition theory and heterodox microeconomic theories, including work inspired by the post Keynesians. We found a multiplicity of results regarding changes in price levels and inflation derived from shifts in demand and costs. These results challenge the conventional view, which postulates a single behavior in the circuit from changes in interest rates to demand, prices, and inflation. We conclude that microeconomic and macroeconomic aspects should be integrated to properly explain monetary policy and analyze its effects and transmission mechanism.     

Anti-money laundering and financial fraud detection: A systematic literature review

Money laundering has affected the global economy for many years, and there are several methods of solving it presented in the literature. However, when tackling money laundering and financial fraud together there are few methods for solving them. Thus, this study aims to identify methods for anti-money laundering (AML) and financial fraud detection (FFD). A systematic literature review was performed for analysis and research of the methods used, utilizing the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. Of the 48 articles that aligned with the research theme, 20 used quantitative methods for AML and FFD solution, 13 were literature reviews, 7 used qualitative methods, and 8 used mixed methods. This study contributes by presenting a systematic literature review that fills two research gaps: lack of studies on AML and FFD, and the methods used to solve them. This will assist researchers in identifying gaps and related research.     

Portuguese Economic Journal,past and future

Portuguese Economic Journal - This article is a contribution to the history of the creation of the PEJ, officially launched in 1999. It bears witness to the context in which research in economics...     

Relative pricing of French Treasury inflation-linked and nominal bonds: an empirical approach using arbitrage strategies

Portuguese Economic Journal - This paper investigates whether arbitrage opportunities exist between inflation-linked bonds and nominal bonds on the French Treasury market. Following arbitrage...     

Risk control measures in payment systems

The purpose of this paper is to make a comparative analysis of modern gross and net payment systems, emphasizing on the implications of the availability of intraday liquidity in the former and of credit limits in the latter. This allows for the comparison of both the effects on social welfare of each of the two systems and the different risk control instruments analyzed. In a numerical exercise, it is shown first, how it would be legitimate for a benevolent authority a preference for a gross system, like Fedwire, over a net system, like EURO1, for relatively high values, although plausible, of risk aversion. Second, as financial development improves, the preference for a net system shifts either to gross systems or, for some countries, to a cohabitation of both settlement modes.     

Measuring Pricing to Market in the Eurozone: The Case of the Automobile Industry

In this paper we measure the pricing to market for the main export products in the Eurozone automobile industry. Results reveal that significant markup adjustments exist following exchange rate variations. In general, these adjustments allow a strong stabilization of prices in buyer's currency terms. Nevertheless, the degree of pricing to market is quite heterogeneous and differs highly across both product categories and destination markets.     

European time-series relationships between inflation and inflation uncertainty: In search of threshold levels

Summary Cross-country studies have found threshold levels of inflation below which the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty appears to break down. However, Ball's (1992) theory suggests that threshold levels should be studied in a time-series context. This study documents these threshold levels. For this purpose, the conditional variance of inflation is modeled as a GARCH process that includes not only lagged squared residuals and conditional variance estimates but also a predetermined inflation variable. A two-step procedure is used to identify the ranges of this inflation variable that determine the significance of its coefficient. Empirical results are presented for the four West European G-7 countries: Italy, Germany, the UK, and France.The second author appreciates financial support by The Netherlands Organization for Science Research (N.W.O.). The authors thank Eduard Bomhoff, the editor and two anonymous referees for their useful comments and suggestions.