This paper gives an overview of the present version of the quarterly model for the Belgian economy built at the National Bank of Belgium (NBB). This model can provide quantitative input into the policy analysis and projection processes within a framework that has explicit micro-foundations and...

The use of input-output analysis for the computation of secondary effects of final demand changes is well-known. These 'final demand effects' can be calculated using technical coefficients and the inverse of the Leontief matrix. This paper offers an alternative to the use of technical...

Using Logistic Normal regressions, we model the price-setting behaviour for a large sample of Belgian consumer prices over the January 1989 - January 2001 period. Our results indicate that time-dependent features are very important, particularly an infinite mixture of Calvo pricing rules and...

We estimate the effect of demand and price uncertainty on firms' investment decisions from a panel of manufacturing firms. Uncertainty measures are derived from firms' subjective qualitative expectations. They are close to their theoretical counterparts, the variances of future demand and price...

Robust (cross-border) interbank markets are important for the well functioning of modern financial systems. Yet, a network of interbank exposures may lead to domino effects following the event of an initial bank failure. The structure of the interbank market is a potential important driving...

This paper examines the degree of price rigidity in Belgian consumer prices, using a large database. As to the observed degree of rigidity, the results reveal a substantial amount of heterogeneity, not only across but also within product categories. While prices turn out to be perfectly flexible...

This paper studies the impact of bank mergers on firm-bank lending relationships using information from individual loan contracts in Belgium. We analyse the effects of bank mergers on the probability of borrowers maintaining their lending relationships and on their ability to continue tapping...

This paper looks at the interplay of volatility and liquidity on the Euronext trading platform during the December 2, 2002 to April 30, 2003 time period. Using transaction and order book data for some large- and mid-cap Brussels-traded stocks on Euronext, we study the ex-ante liquidity vs...

We analyse the pass-through of money market rates to retail interest rates at the disaggregate level in the Belgian banking market. First, we measure the extent of pass-through for a total of fourteen products. We find that the response varies over loans and deposits and depends positively on...

The impact of an airport on spatial economic development is cited to justify investments. Local governments are of the opinion that an airport can have a positive effect on a region. However, there are disagreements about just how much extra employment and added value an airport generates. It...