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 establishes stylised facts about residential and commercial property prices focusing on 12 European markets over the sample 1984-2013. Using the measure of dynamic correlation and cohesion we look at the medium and long-term dynamics in the real estate markets. We investigate how do...

This paper examines the recent behavior of sovereign interest rates in the euro area, focusing on the 10 year yield spreads relative to Germany for Italy and other euro area countries. Both previous analyses and the new evidence presented in the paper suggest that, in recent months, for several...

An environment of low growth and low inflation in the euro area does not foster swift private sector deleveraging. Yet, reviving growth is critically dependent on how quickly excessive levels of debt can be reduced, particularly in sectors that remain unprofitable. This is essential to support a...