This note is a synthesis of the various studies existing on the development of the use of the euro by the customers, the businesses and the public administrations in the Member States participating to the EMU. It also presents the results of a regular survey of the Commission among European...

Produced by the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), these monthly notes look at the volumes of debt issued, the maturity structures and the conditions in the market.Quarterly notes look in greater detail at the market and at the factors behind the more substantial...

Ageing of the population is likely to threaten the ability of states to finance welfare states and social protection systems in the future. A viable solution is to increase employment rates and to lengthen working life. To achieve this dual goal requires devising new solutions for working...

The hedge fund industry has risen in 2007 to the top of the international political agenda, yet the debate surrounding it is limited by a lack of understanding of how the industry functions, or even how it is to be defined. The industry consists largely of investment funds operating from...

One feature of the global economy in recent years has been the increasing number and importance of new investment funds (private equity (PE), hedge funds (HFs), and sovereign wealth funds (SWFs)), which are sometimes referred to as alternative investment funds (AIFs). This increase has...

This report examines whether investment funds – in particular, private equity, hedge funds and sovereign wealth funds – help to revive underperforming companies and thereby contribute to employment growth or whether, on the contrary, they strive to maximise financial returns at the expense...