This paper seeks to add to the current debate about financial development and growth in the emerging world by looking at how different financial systems evolve: how and why financial structures change during various stages of development, how best to measure them, and seeing what practical...

This paper seeks to add to the current debate about financial development and growth in the emerging world by looking at how different financial systems evolve: how and why financial structures change during various stages of development, how best to measure them, and seeing what practical...

We report new evidence that speculation in energy and precious metal futures are more prevalent in crisis periods and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, agricultural futures attract more hedging pressure. Post-GFC patterns mirror the 1980s’ recessions. Using quantile...

The COVID-19 Financial Crisis seems unprecedented, but this is largely because it combines attributes of multiple historical events, several of which occurred more than one hundred years ago. The easiest way to understand the fundamental dynamics of the crisis is to isolate the distinct phases...

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to extensive declines in international commodity prices. The outbreak as well as measures fashioned to contain it has been weighing down on global supply chains and commodity prices. The pandemic has been accompanied with unprecedented shock that has disrupted both...

Over the last year the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with unprecedented policy responses. In this paper we examine the determinants of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in a cross-country analysis. We find that countries with greater income, less dense and greater elderly...

The Covid-19 outbreak has led to extensive declines in international commodity prices. The outbreak as well as measures fashioned to contain it has been weighing down on global supply chains and commodity prices. The pandemic has been accompanied with unprecedented shock that has disrupted both...