China’s major imbalances include trade and capital account surpluses and a large annual build-up of international reserves. China has a capital account surplus reinforcing the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, mainly U.S. dollar-denominated assets. Usually, a sustainable fixed or...

The present paper reviews the causes that led to the financial crisis. Unlike other interpretations, this paper does not place main significance on a single source or on a set of causes. I consider all major standpoints highlighted by research and media prior, during and after the financial...

There are marked differences in the effect of increases in monetary aggregates ‎in China, Japan ‎and the U.S. on Euro area economic and financial variables over 1999-2012. Increases in ‎monetary aggregates ‎in China are associated with significant increases in the world price of...

There are marked differences in the effect of increases in monetary aggregates in China, Japan and the U.S. on Euro area economic and financial variables over 1999-2012. Increases in monetary aggregates in China are associated with significant increases in the world price of commodities and with...

Some countries may face choice between targeting inflation independently and entering a monetary union that targets inflation. This paper shows that the choice of a country in favour of monetary union may be motivated by asymmetrical supply shocks. The demand shocks are neutralised under these...

A unique feature of the financial crisis is the unprecedented collapse in global world trade. The objective of this paper is to explain some of that collapse as a move toward protectionism triggered not by nationalistic interests but by ‘competing’ objectives among trading partners from the...

This article analyzes the main issues for monetary policy in new EU member states before their euro adoption. These are typically rooted in the challenge of fulfilling concurrently of the Maastricht inflation and exchange rate criterion, as these countries are experiencing equilibrium real...

This paper proposes a synthetic divergence indicator retracing the influence of domestic and external imbalances for each G5 country on its currency position. This index happens to be equal to the weighted sum of domestic demand pressures and current account disequilibrium, with the weights...

This paper describes the socio-economic adjustment effects exerted by globalization (taking as starting points competitive pressure, sectoral shifts, and financial market contagion) and discusses their relevance for domestic policy-making. I argue that these economic pressures and the resulting...

Determinants of default risk of banks in emerging economies have so far received inadequate attention in the literature. Using panel data techniques, this paper seeks to study the determinants bank asset quality and profitability using robust data sets for the period from 1997-2009. The findings...