Are bank loans important for output growth?

This paper investigates whether changes in the volume of supplied bank loans have a significant effect on output growth in the euro area. After the significance of the bank lending channel is established, money demand shocks are used as an instrumental variable for loans, following Driscoll (2004). With the application of a cross-country panel estimation, the impact of a change in loan supply on output growth is tested. In contrast to the United States, there is evidence that fluctuations in loans lead to a response in output in the euro area, supporting the credit view.