Five years after Lehman Brothers defaulted, the Dutch consumer confidence is still very low. Based on a monthly time series analysis from 1978 onwards, we provide evidence that general economic indicators are not sufficient to explain consumer sentiment. We show that during the Great Recession...

This paper studies the (short-run) relationship between stock market developments and consumer confidence in eleven European countries over the years 1986-2001. We find that stock returns and changes in sentiment are positively correlated for nine countries, with Germany as the main exception....

The responsiveness of long-term household debt to the interest rate is a crucial parameter for assessing the effectiveness of public policies aimed at promoting specific types of saving. This paper estimates the effect of a reform of a large program that subsidized mortgage interest rates on...

We examined the mortgage interest tax relief (MIR) system in the Netherlands and reforms to this system, based on answers to direct questions in survey data for the period 2010-2012. As well as tracking individuals over time and at strategic moments in the process of the policy reform, this...

Survey data show that many respondents save for retirement in unconventional retirement accounts, such as investments in real estate. In countries where retirement savings are not mandatory for self-employed, representatives of this group often report this as an argument against making...

The focus of this paper in on the effect that changes in income and financial assets have on household consumption in the Netherlands over the period 2009-2012. The empirical evidence is based on the LISS panel, a longitudinal survey representative of the Dutch-speaking population conducted and...

This paper studies confidence and trust in the Netherlands, especially with regard to the financial sector. Confidence and trust are qualitative, emotion-based variables which seems to be a powerful force in the economy. The aim of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the relationship...

The study quantifies stock market and housing market wealth effects on households' non-durable consumption using Italian household panel data (SHIW) of 1989-2002. We found, averaging over all households, both statistically and economically insignificant housing wealth effects. However, we found...

This report analyses the portfolio behaviour of Dutch households. The study is partly based on information from a broad survey commissioned by the Nederlandsche Bank, held in March of this year. The investigation shows that risk bearing elements are becoming more and more important in households...

This paper explores the characteristics of the monetary transmission mechanism in the UK, as portrayed by the National Institute's Domestic Econometric Model (NiDEM). Sensitivity to different monetary policy regimes and to alternative models of consumers' expenditure is assessed. The methodology...