Four years after the introduction of the euro, this paper provides an overview of the current structure and integration … of the euro area financial systems and related policy initiatives. We first compare the euro area financial structure … with that of the United States and Japan. Using new and comprehensive financial account data, we also describe how the euro …

Within a two-step GARCH framework we explore the linkages between equity returns of ten sectors in the euro area, the … process towards higher integration has been primarily a phenomenon of equity markets in the euro area and the United States. …

This paper discusses a wide range of indicators of the degree of integration of the euro area banking system. It is … paper offers three main empirical conclusions. First, within the euro area the gap between the cross-border banking activity …