Emerging market economic growth during the global recovery has exceeded performance in advanced economies. This differential has triggered a rush of private capital inflows to the emerging markets from investors seeking to maximize returns. While capital flows typically benefit receiving...

The financial crisis that began in mid-2007 brought renewed calls for an alternative to the U.S. dollar as the dominant reserve currency in international transactions. Several developing countries suggested greater use of special drawing rights (SDRs). ; SDRs were created in 1969 under the first...

Despite improvements over the years, capital regulation failed to ensure stability of the financial system in the crisis that flared in the summer of 2007. The billions of dollars of write-downs on assets related to subprime mortgages raised fears of insolvency and led to lending freezes and...