This is the first in a series of seven papers on interest rates and it covers the basic terms and information required for a fuller understanding of the significance of interest rates: the instruments that interest rates apply to, the bank interest margin which plays an important transmission...

This is the third in a series of seven papers on interest rates and it covers the yield curve, the literature on the composition of interest rates, an alternative analysis of composition of interest rates, the literature on the risk-free rate, an alternative view of the risk-free rate, and an...

This is the second in a series of seven papers on interest rates and it covers the relationship between the policy interest rate and the banks' prime lending rate; the many, but related, interest rates on debt and deposits; the interbank market interest rates; and the relationship of money market...

Asset swaps provide a form of asset financing, where investors borrow funds to purchase an asset, typically a bond. Asset swaps are also a good bond rich-cheap analysis tool. Such swaps can of course be used for speculative purposes. In this paper we provide a brief overview of asset swaps and...

The basic asset pricing equation is adapted to include the effects of unemployment, consumers' expectations, the price level and money supply on money market rates and government bond yields. Expected consumption growth is modelled using European unemployment figures and Eurostat Consumer...

The fall in risk free interest rates since the 1980s has mostly been described as being induced by factors that push down interest rates from the demand side. This paper contributes to the literature by adding a view of the supply side, namely that interest has to be earned first, before it can...

We propose a regime-switching approach to deal with the lower bound on nominal interest rates in dynamic term structure modelling. In the "lower bound regime", the short term rate is expected to remain constant at levels close to the effective lower bound; in the "normal regime", the short rate...

We propose a regime-switching approach to deal with the lower bound on nominal interest rates in dynamic term structure modelling. In the "lower bound regime", the short term rate is expected to remain constant at levels close to the effective lower bound; in the "normal regime", the short rate...

Prevailing explanations of the decline in real interest rates since the early 1980s are premised on the notion that real interest rates are driven by variations in desired saving and investment. But based on data stretching back to 1870 for 19 countries, our systematic analysis casts doubt on...

Prevailing explanations of the decline in real interest rates since the early 1980s are premised on the notion that real interest rates are driven by variations in desired saving and investment. But based on data stretching back to 1870 for 19 countries, our systematic analysis casts doubt on...