European financial crisis and bank productivity: evidence from Eastern European Countries

The paper examines the productivity levels of the largest banks operating in the Eastern European countries over the period of the ongoing European financial crisis. Specifically, the analysis covers the periods of U.S. subprime crisis, the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis. By adopting a fully nonparametric framework, it provides a probabilistic version of a directional input-oriented Malmquist productivity index alongside with its main decomposition. The results from the analysis suggest that banks have faced a deterioration of their productivity levels between the examined periods. It is evident that during the initiation of European sovereign debt crisis, the banks have weakened their ability to utilize efficiently their inputs of production and their ability to realize scale economies.     

The impacts of bank-specific and macroeconomic variables on the capital adequacy ratio: evidence from Islamic banks

The study investigates the relationship between the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and different bank-specific and macroeconomic variables for 28 Islamic banks. We document that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the CAR and the bank-specific and macroeconomic variables. In particular, bank-specific variables such as ROA, ROE, leverage, credit risk and size show a strong association with the CAR, while on the macroeconomic side, inflation, market capitalization and exchange rate have an impact on the average Islamic bank in our sample study. Furthermore, we run another model (equity to assets ratio) as dependent, with similar control variables, and the results reveal that, except for inflation, all the variables that have a significant effect on the CAR also influence the equity to assets ratio.     

‘Whatever it takes’ and the role of Eurozone news

This letter shows that the ‘Whatever it takes’ speech by ECB President Draghi on 26 July 2012 and the ensuing installation of the Outright Monetary Transactions’ framework are associated with a reduction in the domestic and cross-border effect of Eurozone news on absolute yield changes in Eurozone sovereign debt. These results are consistent with the popular view that these actions helped to avoid a collapse of the Eurozone.     

Corporate financial soundness and its impact on firm performance: implications for corporate debt restructuring in Slovenia

This article studies the extent of corporate leverage and range of excessive debt of Slovenian firms during the recent financial crisis. Half of all firms (of those with some non-zero debt and at least one employee) are found to face an unsustainable debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio beyond 4, accounting for almost 80% of total outstanding debt. Moreover, a good quarter of all firms experience debt-to-EBITDA ratios exceeding 10 and hold almost half of total aggregate net debt. We then examine how this financial distress affects firm performance in terms of productivity, employment, exports, investment and survival. We find that, while less important during the good times (pre-recession period), lack of firms’ financial soundness during the period of financial distress becomes a critical factor constraining firm performance. The extent of financial leverage and ability to service the outstanding debt are shown to inhibit firms’ productivity growth as well as the dynamics of exports, employment and investment. Micro and small firms are found to suffer relatively more than larger firms from high leverage in terms of export and employment performance during the recession period.     

Changing International Financial Architecture: Growing Chinese Influence?

It is often said that the 21st century will be the Asian century. Based on population and gross domestic product projections, it certainly looks as if this will be so. Will the existing international financial institutions give more voices, votes, and top positions to Asia? Or will Asia create its own institutions that would rival the old architecture? This present paper argues, first, that China, and possibly India, will be in a position to be so influential that the international financial architecture may have to go through significant changes. Second, the three large crises in the last 20 years have made Asian countries more confident that they can manage capital flows by accumulating large foreign reserves and by adopting sound macrofinancial policies. After 2009, China started to push various initiatives that will amount to creating its own sphere of influence with new regional institutions in the future.     

金融危机下人民币汇率变动对外贸的影响——以山东青岛为例

自人民币汇率制度改革以来,人民币汇率波幅明显增大,并呈现持续升值的势头,金融危机期间,人民币汇率波动更加频繁,势必对我国外贸造成一定程度的影响。以青岛进行实例分析,采取金融危机期间人民币汇率变动与青岛进出口贸易的数据建立回归模型,在分析人民币汇率变动的趋势与青岛对外贸易总体现状的基础上,对金融危机下人民币汇率变动对青岛外贸的影响进行了回归分析,得出金融危机下人民币汇率变动对青岛进口影响不显著,而对青岛出口影响较大的结论,并根据分析提出应对危机和发展对外贸易的政策建议。     

Europe's income convergence and the latest global financial crisis

This paper examines the effects of the 2008 financial crisis on economic growth and convergence across European countries from 1973 to 2012. Employing cross-sectional and dynamic panel data techniques, the results show that the global financial crisis has brought a greater absolute convergence rate rather than divergence, affected richer members more heavily and, presumably, allowed less developed members to recover more quickly. We find evidence that creating the European Union has contributed toward economic growth and convergence; meanwhile, no similar evidence is found concerning the European Monetary Union. Moreover, we present evidence that both the average output per capita and the rate of convergence during the financial crisis fell around 7%.     

乌克兰危机与中国的选择

乌克兰危机的爆发,有极其复杂的国内因素的原因。同时,它更是以美国为首的西方和俄罗斯在地缘政治上博弈的结果。乌克兰危机对国际形势的影响虽然不如舆论界预期那么大,但它可能会影响美国＂重返亚太＂战略的部署和进度。中国应当冷静观察,沉着应对。在始终坚持＂以经济建设为中心＂的基础上,坚定既有原则立场,强调尊重独立国家的主权和领土完整,坚决反对干涉内政,同时也要积极有所作为,为政治解决乌克兰危机,发挥独特的大国作用。     

房地产市场对银行收益的系统性影响研究——以美国、中国香港、中国大陆市场为例

文章研究了三地上市银行和房地产公司股票之间的收益关系,发现三个市场的银行股票收益都显著地受到房地产股票波动的影响,并且利用三地数据的结构性差异点,确定了次贷危机发生作用的时点.对比次贷危机前后的三个市场银行股和房地产股票收益的关系后发现,代表银行股收益对房地产股波动敏感性的回归系数在次贷危机后均有所增大,显示美国和中国的银行业所面临的房地产风险已经由非系统性风险转变为系统性风险,其风险敞口在加大.     

金融危机对巴塞尔新资本协议和商业银行风险管理的挑战

正在影响着世界的金融危机,在考验商业银行自身的风险管理能力的同时,也挑战了全球银行业赖以为标准的巴塞尔新资本协议。本文旨在从危机爆发的原因出发,封新资本协议关于银行的风险管理方面的规定进行分析,以及在金融全球化的大环境下,中国的银行业应该如何应对危机。