The Appropriateness of the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure for Central and Eastern European Countries
Martina Kämpfe, Tobias Knedlik
IWH-Diskussionspapiere,
Nr. 16,
2017
Abstract
The experience of Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) during the global financial crisis and in the resulting European debt crises has been largely different from that of other European countries. This paper looks at the specifics of the CEEC in recent history and focuses in particular on the appropriateness of the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure for this group of countries. In doing so, the macroeconomic situation in the CEEC is highlighted and macroeconomic problems faced by these countries are extracted. The findings are compared to the results of the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure of the European Commission. It is shown that while the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure correctly identifies some of the problems, it understates or overstates other problems. This is due to the specific construction of the broadened surveillance procedure, which largely disregarded the specifics of catching-up economies.
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Aufschwung in Deutschland festigt sich trotz weltwirtschaftlicher Risiken
Roland Döhrn, Ferdinand Fichtner, Oliver Holtemöller, Stefan Kooths, Timo Wollmershäuser
Wirtschaftsdienst,
Nr. 4,
2017
Abstract
Die deutsche Wirtschaft befindet sich nun schon im fünften Jahr eines moderaten Aufschwungs, der sich 2018 fortsetzen wird. Auch global expandiert die Wirtschaft kräftig. Die gestiegenen politischen Unsicherheiten dämpfen die Weltwirtschaft derzeit offensichtlich kaum. Der wirtschaftspolitische Kurs der neuen US-Regierung birgt sowohl Chancen als auch Risiken für die Konjunktur in den USA und der Welt. Die Gemeinschaftsdiagnose prognostiziert für 2018 eine Inflationsrate von 1,9% für die fortgeschrittenen Volkswirtschaften und rechnet mit einem Kurswechsel der EZB.
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International Banking and Cross-border Effects of Regulation: Lessons from Germany
Jana Ohls, Markus Pramor, Lena Tonzer
International Journal of Central Banking,
Supplement 1, March
2017
Abstract
We analyze the inward and outward transmission of regulatory changes through German banks’ (international) loan portfolio. Overall, our results provide evidence for international spillovers of prudential instruments. These spillovers are, however, quite heterogeneous between types of banks and can only be observed for some instruments. For instance, domestic affiliates of foreign-owned global banks reduce their loan growth to the German economy in response to a tightening of sector-specific capital buffers, local reserve requirements, and loan-to-value ratios in their home country. Furthermore, from the point of view of foreign countries, tightening reserve requirements is effective in reducing lending inflows from German banks. Finally, we find that business and financial cycles matter for lending decisions.
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European versus Anglo-Saxon Credit View: Evidence from the Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis
Marc Altdörfer, Carlos A. De las Salas Vega, Andre Guettler, Gunter Löffler
Abstract
We analyse whether different levels of country ties to Europe among the rating agencies Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch affect the assignment of sovereign credit ratings, using the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis of 2009-2012 as a natural laboratory. We find that Fitch, the rating agency among the “Big Three” with significantly stronger ties to Europe compared to its two more US-tied peers, assigned on average more favourable ratings to Eurozone issuers during the crisis. However, Fitch’s better ratings for Eurozone issuers seem to be neglected by investors as they rather follow the rating actions of Moody’s and S&P. Our results thus doubt the often proposed need for an independent European credit rating agency.
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Deutsche Wirtschaft gut ausgelastet — Wirtschaftspolitik neu ausrichten
Roland Döhrn, Ferdinand Fichtner, Oliver Holtemöller, Stefan Kooths, Timo Wollmershäuser
Wirtschaftsdienst,
Nr. 10,
2016
Abstract
Die deutsche Wirtschaft befindet sich in einem moderaten Aufschwung. Die Gemeinschaftsdiagnose Herbst 2016 prognostiziert, dass das Bruttoinlandsprodukt 2016 um 1,9%, 2017 um 1,4% und 2018 um 1,6% zulegen dürfte. Dabei gehen von der Weltkonjunktur nur geringe stimulierende Effekte aus, zudem dürften sich in den außerordentlich niedrigen Kapitalmarktzinsen nicht nur die derzeitige Geldpolitik, sondern auch niedrige Wachstumserwartungen widerspiegeln. All dies hemmt die Ausrüstungsinvestitionen. So ist es weiterhin in erster Linie der Konsum, der den Aufschwung trägt.
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Foreign Funding Shocks and the Lending Channel: Do Foreign Banks Adjust Differently?
Felix Noth, Matias Ossandon Busch
Finance Research Letters,
November
2016
Abstract
We document for a set of Latin American emerging countries that the different nature of foreign funding accessed by foreign and local banks affected their lending performance after September 2008. We show that lending growth was weaker for shock-affected foreign banks compared to shock-affected local banks. This evidence represents valuable policy information for regulators concerned with the stability and well-functioning of banking sectors.
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International Banking and Cross-border Effects of Regulation: Lessons from Germany
Jana Ohls, Markus Pramor, Lena Tonzer
Abstract
We analyze the inward and outward transmission of regulatory changes through German banks’ (international) loan portfolio. Overall, our results provide evidence for international spillovers of prudential instruments, these spillovers are however quite heterogeneous between types of banks and can only be observed for some instruments. For instance, foreign banks located in Germany reduce their loan growth to the German economy in response to a tightening of sector-specific capital buffers, local reserve requirements and loan to value ratios in their home country. Furthermore, from the point of view of foreign countries, tightening reserve requirements was effective in reducing lending inflows from German banks. Finally, we find that business and financial cycles matter for lending decisions.
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Risikobewertung von Staatsanleihen im Euroraum während der Staatsschuldenkrise von Ansteckungseffekten getrieben
Manuel Buchholz, Lena Tonzer
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
Nr. 1,
2015
Abstract
Die europäische Staatsschuldenkrise hat in vielen Ländern zu Zinsaufschlägen auf Staatsanleihen geführt. Dies war vor allem in den Jahren 2010 und 2011 in Ländern wie Griechenland, Italien oder Spanien zu beobachten. Zur gleichen Zeit blieben die Kreditrisiken deutscher oder französischer Staatsanleihen auf einem moderaten Niveau. Trotz der unterschiedlichen Entwicklung in den Niveaus findet man ein hohes Maß an Gleichbewegung von Kreditrisiken in den Ländern des Euroraums. Dieser Beitrag untersucht, inwieweit dies durch strukturelle Ähnlichkeiten, internationale Verflechtungen und globale Marktentwicklungen erklärt werden kann.
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The Impact of Preferences on Early Warning Systems - The Case of the European Commission's Scoreboard
Tobias Knedlik
European Journal of Political Economy,
2014
Abstract
The European Commission’s Scoreboard of Macroeconomic Imbalances is a rare case of a publicly released early warning system. It allows the preferences of the politicians involved to be analysed with regard to the two potential errors of an early warning system – missing a crisis and issuing a false alarm. These preferences might differ with the institutional setting. Such an analysis is done for the first time in this article for early warning systems in general by using a standard signals approach, including a preference-based optimisation approach, to set thresholds. It is shown that, in general, the thresholds of the Commission’s Scoreboard are set low (resulting in more alarm signals), as compared to a neutral stand. Based on political economy considerations the result could have been expected.
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Changing Forces of Gravity: How the Crisis Affected International Banking
Claudia M. Buch, Katja Neugebauer, Christoph Schröder
ZEW Discussion Paper, No. 14-006,
2014
Abstract
The global financial crisis has brought to an end a rather unprecedented period of banks’ international expansion. We analyze the effects of the crisis on international banking. Using a detailed dataset on the international assets of all German banks with foreign affiliates for the years 2002-2011, we study bank internationalization before and during the crisis. Our data allow analyzing not only the international assets of the banks’ headquarters but also of their foreign affiliates. We show that banks have lowered their international assets, both along the extensive and the intensive margin. This withdrawal from foreign markets is the result of changing market conditions, of policy interventions, and of a weakly increasing sensitivity of banks to financial frictions.
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