This feature explores the recent evolution of household wealth inequality in advanced economies by looking at valuation effects on household assets and liabilities. Using household survey data, we analyse the possible drivers of wealth inequality and the potential effect of monetary policy...

Global liquidity is a catch-all term that is used to denote the combination of easier financing conditions, capital inflows, and exchange rate appreciation. An approach based on the activities of internationally active financial institutions sheds light on the conceptual underpinnings and the...

Since the Great Financial Crisis, emerging market economies have been more active in FX markets. As rising dollar debt and increased exposure to global financing flows have affected the demand and supply of foreign currency, financial stability has become an increasingly important motive for...

Die Autoren der Beiträge des Bandes befassen sich mit dem Transmissionsmechanismus in der Geldpolitik. Im Zentrum steht somit die Frage, wie sich geldpolitische Maßnahmen der Notenbanken auf gesamtwirtschaftliche Größen übertragen. -- G. Winckler und S. Kaufmann untersuchen in ihrem Beitrag...

During the 2007-2010 financial crisis, central banks accumulated a vast amount of experience in acting as lender of last resort. This paper reviews the various ways that central banks provided emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) during the crisis, and discusses issues for the design of ELA...

This article examines developments in the syndicated loan markets during the financial crisis. The investigation of deal structures and purposes suggests that supply constraints aggravated the sharp decline of syndicated lending. An econometric analysis confirms that balance sheet constraints of...

Financial sector foreign direct investment in emerging market economies has surged over the past decade. While the benefits of heightened financial sector efficiency and better risk management are widely acknowledged, foreign ownership poses challenges for host countries due to the migration of...

Commodities have attracted considerable interest as a financial investment in recent years. This article discusses the factors behind their growing appeal and assesses the extent to which market characteristics, such as price volatility, have changed as a result. The feature concludes that...