We use a macroeconomic euro area model with a bank sector to study the pro-cyclical effect of the capital regulation, focusing on the extra pro-cyclicality induced by Basel II over Basel I. Our results suggest that this incremental effect is modest. We also find that regulators could offset the...

We use a dynamic general equilibrium model featuring a banking sector to assess the interaction between macroprudential policy and monetary policy. We find that in “normal” times (when the economic cycle is driven by supply shocks) macroprudential policy generates only modest benefits for...

A striking feature of financial market behaviour in recent years has been the low level of price volatility over a wide range of financial assets and markets. The issue has attracted the attention of central bankers and financial regulators due to the potential implications for financial...

A striking feature of financial markets behaviour in recent years has been the low level of price volatility over a wide range of financial assets and markets. The issue has drawn the attention of central bankers and financial regulators due to the potential implications for financial stability....

More than three years since the outbreak of the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area the banking systems of several countries remain exposed to the vagaries of government bond markets. The paper analyzes the different channels through which sovereign risk affects banking risk (and vice versa),...

The paper analyzes the evolution of competitive conditions in the Italian banking industry using firm-level balance sheet data for the period 1984-1997. Regulatory reform, large-scale consolidation and competitive pressure from other European countries have changed substantially the banking...

I argue that in order to test for the effect of the foundation of the Federal Reserve on the behavior of short-term interest rates, extending the sample size on either side of the interval 190%1918 will generate spurious results. Mankiw, Miron, and Weil (1987, 1994) do not address data problems...

The paper addresses the issue of the impact of the foundation of the Federal Reserve System in 1914 on the behavior of short-term interest rates. Empirical evidence is presented showing that no change of regime can be detected in the process governing short-term rates in the years straddling the...

We argue that the behavioral theories suggesting that investors underreact to new information yield sharp testable implications concerning the sluggishness with which stock prices react to the arrival of news, and not concerning price continuation patterns, on which most of the literature has...

We argue that the behavioral theories suggesting that investors underreact to new information yield sharp testable implications concerning the sluggishness with which stock prices react to the arrival of news, and not concerning price continuation patterns, on which most of the literature has...