Staff Research
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Competition in Banking: A Review of the Literature
The author reviews the theoretical and empirical literature to examine the traditional perception that the following trade-off exists between economic efficiency and stability in the banking system: a competitive banking system is more efficient and therefore important to growth, but market power is necessary for stability in the banking system. -
Convergence of Government Bond Yields in the Euro Zone: The Role of Policy Harmonization
Since the early 1980s, long-term government bond yields in the euro zone have declined, in line with those in other industrialized countries. -
Financial Conditions Indexes for Canada
The authors construct three financial conditions indexes (FCIs) for Canada based on three approaches: an IS-curve-based model, generalized impulse-response functions, and factor analysis. -
Exchange Rate Pass-Through and the Inflation Environment in Industrialized Countries: An Empirical Investigation
This paper investigates the question of whether a transition to a low-inflation environment, induced by a shift in monetary policy, results in a decline in the degree of pass-through of exchange rate movements to consumer prices. -
Commodity-Linked Bonds: A Potential Means for Less-Developed Countries to Raise Foreign Capital
The author suggests that commodity-linked bonds could provide a potential means for less-developed countries (LDCs) to raise money on the international capital markets, rather than through standard forms of financing.