The standard economy-wide indices of labor quality (or human capital) largely ignore the role of unobservable worker characteristics. In this paper, we develop a methodology for identifying the contributions of both observable and unobservable worker characteristics in the presence of the...

The intra-daily efficacy of interventions by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is examined for the 1986–94 period. The paper extends results from earlier studies because it uses the actual intervention exchange rates and all SNB interventions are known to the market. Our test of the signalling...

It is often argued that interventions provide news on changes in risk premia or in future monetary policy. If so, the timing of interventions offers important information for central bank watchers. One method to study the reaction function of a central bank is to consider whether the duration...

The time pattern of official interventions on the foreign exchange market exhibits periods of intense activity followed by long spells of inaction. In this paper, we examine whether the time interval between successive intervention matters for future interventions. To capture the properties of...

This paper presents results on human capital accumulation for the Swiss economy. We find that the index of labor quality has grown at a rate of 0.5% per year from 1991 to 2006. The main sources are the growth in average levels of education and the passing of the baby boom cohort through the age...

The standard economy-wide indices of labor quality (or human capital) largely ignore the role of unobservable worker characteristics. In this paper, we develop a methodology for identifying the contributions of both observable and unobservable worker characteristics in the presence of the...

Studies on the role of the credit channel have flourished in recent years. This paper focuses on the work that has been carried out using Swiss data. It begins with some general features characterizing the credit channel and demonstrating its empirical implications. It then provides an overview...

In this paper, we measure the main factors explaining nominal output growth and deviations from trend output in Switzerland over the period 1980 to 2001. The decompositions are based on the GDP function and its dual, the national income function. The results indicate that whereas nominal output...

This paper presents results on human capital accumulation for the Swiss economy. We find that the index of labour quality has grown at a rate of 0.5% per year from 1991 to 2006. The main sources are the growth in average levels of education and the passing of the baby boom cohort through the age...