The paper analyses participation in and contributions to the third pillar of the pension system by Belgian households. This pillar represents individual saving for retirement and has been growing rapidly. A detailed dataset of tax declarations over the period from 1993 until 2003 was used to...

The open character of the Belgian economy is also reflected in its financial relations with other countries. At the end of 2007, Belgium’s net foreign assets totalled around 44.4 p.c. of GDP. In the past decade, Belgium’s net financial assets have shown a marked increase, against the...

For the greater part of 2010, short-term and long-term interest rates in Belgium were at exceptionally low levels. Nominal interest rates reached historic lows ; in real terms, only the low point of 1974 remained unequalled. The yield curve was in turn relatively steep. In the first place, the...