This paper analyzes the interest rate pass-through for Germany and the euro area using for the first time a fully harmonized data set on bank retail rates. In a vector error correction model, the speed and completeness of the pass-through from market rates to bank interest rates are estimated...

As the euro area has a predominantly bank-based financial system, changes in the composition and strength of banks’ balance sheets can have very sizeable implications for the transmission of monetary policy. This paper provides an overview of developments in banks’ balance sheets,...