Safe Assets in the Global Economy

Safe Assets in the Global Economy PDF

Author: Joanna Bogołębska

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-07-31

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1040090230

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Safe assets constitute an essential component of the contemporary, international financial system and are vital to its stability. As they are perceived as risk-free assets, they are a special type of financial instrument. Although the vast majority of safe assets are issued by governments, due to the increasing interdependence of economies, resulting from the liberalisation of capital flows, financial openness and the ineffectiveness of the international monetary system, issues relating to their significance, creation and allocation are global. This book combines theoretical threads by systematising the concept and characteristics of safe assets against the background of alternative financial instruments with empirical analyses that present trends in shaping demand, supply, price conditions and various interdependencies in the financial markets. It shows the position and role of safe assets in the global financial sector, in the context of ongoing challenges, such as the evolution of forms of money and the processes of currency competition, the outbreak of financial and economic crises, the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, financial innovations, the scale of securitisation and monetary integration. Although safe assets are not a new category of financial assets, they are inherently connected with the evolution of money. Thus, this book examines the determinants of their creation, motives of holding and the consequences of a shortage – all within the changing nature of the international financial system. Historical, political and institutional backgrounds are taken into account. This book will appeal to researchers, scholars and advanced students of macroeconomics, international finance and economics, investment analysis, financial economics and econometrics.

Safe Asset Demand, Global Capital Flows and Wealth Concentration

Safe Asset Demand, Global Capital Flows and Wealth Concentration PDF

Author: Mr. Taehoon Kim

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2021-10-22

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 1589066936

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The US economy is often referred to as the “banker to the world,” due to its unique role in supplying global reserve assets and funding foreign risky investment. This paper develops a general equilibrium model to analyze and quantify the contribution of this role to rising wealth concentration among American households. I highlight the following points: 1) financial globalization raises wealth inequality in a financially-developed economy initially due to foreign capital pressing up domestic asset prices; 2) much of this increase is transitory and can be reversed as future expected returns on domestic assets fall; and 3) despite the low-interest-rate environment, newly accessed foreign capital provides incentives for affluent households to reallocate wealth toward risky assets while impoverished households increase their debt. Wealth concentration ensues only if this rebalancing effect is large enough to counteract diminished return on domestic assets. Quantitative analysis suggests that global financial integration alone can account for a third to a half of the observed increase in the current top one percent wealth share in the US, but indicates a possible reversal in the future.

A Model of the Safe Asset Mechanism (SAM)

A Model of the Safe Asset Mechanism (SAM) PDF

Author: Ricardo J. Caballero

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The global economy has a chronic shortage of safe assets which lies behind many re- cent macroeconomic imbalances. This paper provides a simple model of the Safe Asset Mechanism (SAM), its recessionary safety traps, and its policy antidotes. Public debt plays a central role in SAM as long as the government has spare fiscal capacity to back safe asset production. We show that Quantitative Easing type policies have positive effects on spreads and output. In contrast, Operation Twist type policies, where the duration of public debt held by the public is reduced, can be counterproductive. Mon- etary policy commitments work if they support future bad states of nature. All these policies depend on fiscal capacity. Once the latter runs out, short term cyclical policy becomes ineffective. In contrast, credible long run fiscal consolidation relaxes the fiscal capacity constraint and enhances the effectiveness of short term policy. An economy that is near its fiscal limits is susceptible to runs on its public debt and to destabilizing feedback loops. We also show that in a SAM world, safe asset producer economies can continuously run trade deficits supported by global demand for safe assets, but they do so at the risk of exhausting their fiscal capacity.

Global Financial Stability Report, April 2012

Global Financial Stability Report, April 2012 PDF

Author: International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2012-04-18

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 1616352477

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The April 2012 Global Financial Stability Report assesses changes in risks to financial stability over the past six months, focusing on sovereign vulnerabilities, risks stemming from private sector deleveraging, and assessing the continued resilience of emerging markets. The report probes the implications of recent reforms in the financial system for market perception of safe assets, and investigates the growing public and private costs of increased longevity risk from aging populations.

Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds

Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF

Author: Mr.Udaibir S. Das

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2010-12-09

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1589069277

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The book covers a wide range of topics of relevance to policymakers in countries that have sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and those that receive SWF investments. Renowned experts in the field have contributed chapters. The book is organized around four themes: (1) the role and macrofinancial linkages of SWFs, (2) institutional factors, (3) investment approaches and financial markets, and (4) the postcrisis outlook. The book also discusses the challenges facing sovereign wealth funds in the coming years, from an inside perspective on countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Norway, Russia, and New Zealand. Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds will contribute to a further understanding of the nature, strategies and behavior of SWFs and the environment in which they operate, as their importance is likely to grow in the coming years.

Global Liquidity

Global Liquidity PDF

Author: Mr.Akito Matsumoto

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2011-06-01

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 1455264458

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What is global liquidity and how does it affect an economy? The paper addresses that question by looking at liquidity from two different perspectives: global liquidity as availability of funds in safe and risky asset markets. This distinction between safe and risky asset markets is important due to market segmentation, which called for unconventional monetary policy to restore a function of risky asset markets. To analyze the effect of global liquidity, I construct proxy variables and then asses how they affect an emerging economy whose interest rate is affected by a world risk-free rate and a risk premium. Using the data from four major Latin American countries, I find that these two aspects of global liquidity have similar effects on economic performance in emerging market economies except for their effect on inflation.

Inside and Outside Liquidity

Inside and Outside Liquidity PDF

Author: Bengt Holmstrom

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 0262518538

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Two leading economists develop a theory explaining the demand for and supply of liquid assets. Why do financial institutions, industrial companies, and households hold low-yielding money balances, Treasury bills, and other liquid assets? When and to what extent can the state and international financial markets make up for a shortage of liquid assets, allowing agents to save and share risk more effectively? These questions are at the center of all financial crises, including the current global one. In Inside and Outside Liquidity, leading economists Bengt Holmström and Jean Tirole offer an original, unified perspective on these questions. In a slight, but important, departure from the standard theory of finance, they show how imperfect pledgeability of corporate income leads to a demand for as well as a shortage of liquidity with interesting implications for the pricing of assets, investment decisions, and liquidity management. The government has an active role to play in improving risk-sharing between consumers with limited commitment power and firms dealing with the high costs of potential liquidity shortages. In this perspective, private risk-sharing is always imperfect and may lead to financial crises that can be alleviated through government interventions.

Global Waves of Debt

Global Waves of Debt PDF

Author: M. Ayhan Kose

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2021-03-03

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 1464815453

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The global economy has experienced four waves of rapid debt accumulation over the past 50 years. The first three debt waves ended with financial crises in many emerging market and developing economies. During the current wave, which started in 2010, the increase in debt in these economies has already been larger, faster, and broader-based than in the previous three waves. Current low interest rates mitigate some of the risks associated with high debt. However, emerging market and developing economies are also confronted by weak growth prospects, mounting vulnerabilities, and elevated global risks. A menu of policy options is available to reduce the likelihood that the current debt wave will end in crisis and, if crises do take place, will alleviate their impact.

Securitization and the Global Economy

Securitization and the Global Economy PDF

Author: Bonnie G. Buchanan

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-12-29

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1137342870

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This book examines the controversial issue of securitization in a global, historical context. It traces its origins and compares evidence of securitization across countries, linking differences to variations in legal, political, and cultural regimes. By incorporating the history and current status of securitization (including sources of value and risk) with alternative markets and future outlooks for the global market, Buchanan provides an overall assessment of the costs, benefits, and sustainability of securitization in the global economy, particularly in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The book also offers a roadmap for future research. As financial regulators around the world plan a sweeping overhaul of securitization markets with tough new rules designed to restore market confidence, it is essential to consider the global outlook for securitization.

Crises and Opportunities

Crises and Opportunities PDF

Author: Youssef Cassis

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-04-07

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 0199600864

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This book examines the differences and commonalities of eight global financial crises since the late nineteenth century (including the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Financial Debacle of the early twenty-first century) to give insights into how the financial landscape has - or has not - been reshaped after a systemic shock.