I use a panel of semi-annual vintages of growth and fiscal forecasts of the European Commission, covering the period 1998:II-2008:II, to assess its effects on 10-year government yields for 14 EU countries. Results show that yields increase with better growth forecasts, and with decreases in...

The paper analyses the factors influencing the sovereign credit ratings of the new EU member states along with potential entrants. We model the ratings of the three rating agencies using a range of macroeconomic and governance variables and panel regression techniques. The unbalanced panel...

I use a panel of semi-annual vintages of growth and fiscal forecasts of the European Commission, covering the period 1998:II-2008:II, to assess its effects on 10-year government yields for 14 EU countries. Results show that yields increase with better growth forecasts, and with decreases in...

We examine the impact of eurozone membership on sovereign creditworthiness over the period 1996-2017. We find that: (a) membership significantly improved sovereign creditworthiness, on average by well over one ratings notch, over this period; (b) the ratings boost was significantly higher in the...

In this paper, we examine the impact of eurozone membership on sovereign creditworthiness over the period 1996-2017 and the underlying channels through which the impact operates. We find that: (a) eurozone membership improved sovereign credit ratings, on average by over one notch; (b) the...