Global liquidity has become a key focus of international policy debates, yet the term continues to be used in a variety of ways. This lack of precision can lead to potentially undesirable policy responses. In this feature, we attempt to clarify the concept of global liquidity, its measurement...

This article reviews the principal features of structured finance instruments. Key to understanding the risk properties of these products is the evaluation of the risks associated with their contractual structure, in addition to the modelling of the credit risk of the underlying asset pools. It...

Central banks' frameworks for managing foreign reserves have traditionally balanced a triad of objectives: liquidity, safety and return. Pursuing these objectives involves explicit trade-offs. More of an emphasis on returns, for instance, may require central banks to sacrifice some of the safety...

In the summer of 2000, central banks from the Group of Ten countries surveyed large international banks about their use of stress tests - a risk management tool that measures a firm's exposure to extreme movements in asset prices. The survey findings highlight the risks that most concern...

As the Basel III package nears completion, the emphasis is shifting to monitoring its implementation and assessing the impact of the reforms. This paper presents a simple conceptual framework to assess the macroeconomic impact of the core Basel III reforms, including the leverage ratio surcharge...

The Basel III leverage ratio (LR) is designed to restrict the build-up of leverage in the banking sector and to backstop the existing risk-weighted capital requirements (RWRs) with a simple, non-risk-weighted measure. But how should a minimum LR requirement be set? This special feature presents...

Central banks' frameworks for managing foreign exchange reserves have traditionally balanced a triad of objectives: liquidity, safety and return. Pursuing these objectives involves explicit trade-offs. Recently central banks have shown interest in incorporating environmental sustainability...

Increasing demand for collateral assets in the aftermath of the financial crisis has raised concerns about a shortage of high-quality assets (HQA). Drawing on a recent report by the Committee on the Global Financial System, we argue that such concerns seem unjustified. In aggregate, the increase...

Drawing from a recent report by the Committee on the Global Financial System, we identify signs of increased fragility and divergence of liquidity conditions across different fixed income markets. Market-making is concentrating in the most liquid securities and deteriorating in the less liquid...

Drawing from a recent report by the Committee on the Global Financial System, we identify signs of increased fragility and divergence of liquidity conditions across different fixed income markets. Market-making is concentrating in the most liquid securities and deteriorating in the less liquid...