This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that following an extended boom led by strong domestic demand, the slowdown in the United States has largely reflected a drag from residential investment as the housing market has weakened substantially. Unexpected weakness in business investment and...

The U.S. economy continued to grow strongly over the year even in the face of a withdrawal of monetary stimulus and high oil prices. Executive Directors commended the Federal Reserve for its monetary tightening. They recognized that the financial sector has proven innovative and resilient. They...

This paper discusses key findings of the assessment of Financial Sector Supervision and Regulation (FSSR) for Monaco. Since the 2002 Offshore Financial Center assessment, the Principality of Monaco has taken important steps to further strengthen an already comprehensive legal framework,...

This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the global financial crisis and the contraction of world trade have pulled the French economy into a severe recession and put its financial sector under strain. Structural features combined with early policy action have helped soften the...

South Africa has made substantial progress in addressing the recommendations of the Financial Sector Assessment Program and is continuing to build upon these accomplishments. The Financial Services Board and Department of Trade and Industry both are organizations with the legal authority to...

Luxembourg’s 2006 Article IV Consultation reports that the dominant financial sector has supported a steady rebound in economic activity. Growth is projected to remain healthy in the near term, but trend growth may decline as the rapid financial sector expansion may decelerate. The...

The hedge fund represents a unique investment opportunity for the institutional and private investors in the diffusion-type financial systems. The main objective of this condensed article is to research the hedge fund’s optimal investment portfolio strategies selection in the global capital...

Regulation is written with the intent of protecting the vulnerable. However, it can cause an undesirable result if written without understanding how the positive intent can have a negative impact. In its present form, the proposed Volcker Rule has the potential of expanding the liquidity crisis...

The intention of regulation is to protect the vulnerable. However, unintended results of regulation can cause the opposite occur. In its present form, the proposed Volcker Rule prohibits proprietary trading and has the potential of continuing the liquidity crisis that aided in the degradation of...

We investigate incentive effects of a typical hedge-fund contract for a manager with power utility. With a one-year horizon, she displays risk-taking that varies dramatically with fund value. We extend the model to multiple yearly evaluation periods and find her risk-taking is rapidly moderated...