Development of the local bond markets has been a top priority for financial reforms in the region after the Asian financial crisis. Various initiatives have also been taken to foster the development of the regional bond market. This paper looks into the degree of integration of sovereign...

Under the framework of Basel II, banks which adopt the internal ratings-based approach will be required to compare their actual provisions with expected losses. Any shortfall (i.e., the expected loss exceeds the provision) should be deducted from capital of the bank. It is therefore important to...

The theoretical prediction of target exchange rates expects mean reversion of the exchange rates. This paper presents a model for valuing European foreign exchange options, in which the forward foreign exchange rate follows a mean-reverting lognormal process. The mean-reverting process has...

Among the various risks faced by banks that may have a systemic impact on the banking system, the credit risk has long been one of the concerns of central banks. This paper illustrates how to assess the credit risk of the banking system in Hong Kong by constructing an index of multiple default...

Traditional measures of concentration of financial market activities do not adequately reflect an economy¡¦s status as an international financial centre (IFC). In this paper, we construct alternative measures that better capture the ability of an IFC to attract capital flows and international...

This study develops a stress-testing framework to assess liquidity risk of banks, where liquidity and default risks can stem from the crystallisation of market risk arising from a prolonged period of negative asset price shocks. In the framework, exogenous asset price shocks increase banks¡¯...

Financial integration has strong implications for financial stability. On the one hand, financial integration among economies helps improve their capacity to absorb shocks and foster development. On the other hand, intensified financial linkages in a world of increasing capital mobility may also...

The empirical results show that after the introduction of the three refinements to the Linked Exchange Rate system in May 2005 the Hong Kong dollar follows a bounded process that is consistent with a fully credible exchange rate band. The bounded process will limit the movements of the exchange...

This paper develops a simple model for measuring the provision for a pool of collateralised retail loans with homogenous characteristics (i.e. the same type of collateral and broadly the same loan-to-value ratio) due to default, where the collateral coverage is treated as a put option with the...

The HKMA has completed a research study on the setting of mortgage rate by Authorized Institutions (AIs). The purpose of the project is to consider whether in an environment of intensive competition and, until recently, abundant liquidity in the banking system, the AIs have adequately taken into...