Claimants to SIFIs receive transfers when governments are forced into bailouts. Ex ante, the bailout expectation lowers daily funding costs. This funding cost differential reflects both the structural level of the government support and the time-varying market valuation for such a support. With...

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Data Module for Iceland highlights Data Module, response by the authorities, and detailed assessments using the data quality assessment framework. Iceland’s macroeconomic statistics are generally of high quality and are adequate to...

This report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) provides an assessment of Guatemala’s macroeconomic statistics against the General Data Dissemination System complemented by an assessment of data quality based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework. The...

This report on the Observance of Standards and Codes data module provides an assessment of Zambia’s macroeconomic statistics against the recommendations of the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), complemented by an assessment of data quality based on the IMF’s Data Quality...

Upon entry into the European Union, countries become members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), with a derogation from adopting the euro as their currency (that is, each country joining the EU commits to replace its national currency with the euro, but can choose when to request...

This paper documents the phenomenon of underpricing initial public offerings (IPOs) for 47 firms that went public between 2001 and 2006 in the equity markets of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The average initial abnormal returns of 290 percent exceed those found in the...

Pakistan undertook major financial sector reforms starting in the late 1980s. The effects of these reforms on the profitability and cost and revenue efficiency of the banking sector are evaluated. The revenue performance of all banks, and especially the privatized banks, improved significantly,...

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes data module provides an assessment of Finland’s macroeconomic statistics against the Special Data Dissemination Standard complemented by an assessment of data quality based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework, July...

In most macroeconomic models, the substitutability between domestic and foreign goods is calibrated using aggregated data. This imposes homogeneous elasticities across goods, and the calibration is only valid under this assumption. If elasticities are heterogeneous, the aggregate...

Panama has a well-developed macroeconomic statistical system, and the government recognizes the importance of good statistics for policy and investment decisions. All statistical agencies are committed to further statistical progress by promoting implementation of the National Strategy for...