Risks to macroeconomic stability posed by excessive private leverage are significantly amplified by tax distortions. 'Debt bias' (tax provisions favoring finance by debt rather than equity) has increased leverage in both the household and corporate sectors, and is now widely recognized as a...

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...

This technical note provides an overview of Mexico’s derivatives markets, and describes concisely the derivatives regulatory framework and risk management practices in financial institutions active in these markets. The most important derivatives market in Mexico is the over-the-counter...

The correlation bias refers to the fact that claim subordination in the capital structure of the firm influences claim holders’ preferred degree of asset correlation in portfolios held by the firm. Using the copula capital structure model, it is shown that the correlation bias shifts...

Analyses of debt relief that focus on the behavior of debtors and existing creditors understate the incentives for collective action by creditors. It is well known that debt relief could benefit existing creditors by providing incentives for domestic investment by residents of debtor countries....

We identify different sources of risk as important determinants of banks' corporate structures when expanding into new markets. Subsidiary-based corporate structures benefit from greater protection against economic risk because of affiliate-level limited liability, but are more exposed to the...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

Der Länderbericht des IMF über Turkmenistan beschreibt das wirtschaftliche Umfeld des Landes. In einzelnen Kapiteln wird auf die jüngere wirtschaftliche Entwicklung eingegangen, die institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen für die Wirtschaftspolitik dargestellt und das Wirtschaftsreformprogramm...

Die Republik Weißrußland stellte am 15. Januar 1992 den Aufnahmeantrag in den IMF und die Weltbankgruppe. Im Februar 1992 bereiste ein IMF-Expertenteam Weißrußland und besuchte Minsk um diesen Bericht zu erarbeiten und die dafür nötigen Informaationen zu sammeln. Der Besuch fiel mit dem...