Despite the rise in public debt, Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yields have remained low and stable, supported by steady inflows from the household and corporate sectors, high domestic ownership of JGBs, and safe-haven flows from heightened sovereign risks in Europe. Over time, however, the...

This paper assesses proposals to redefine the scope of activities of systemically important financial institutions. Alongside reform of prudential regulation and oversight, these have been offered as solutions to the too-important-to-fail problem. It is argued that while the more radical of...

Derivatives are an essential part of risk management by all economic agents (financial or non financial). They contribute, with other financial innovations, to the allocative efficiency. Under certain circumstances they could also generate systemic risks. The purpose of this article is to...

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of weather derivatives to hedge firm exposure to previously unmanageable risk events caused by natural phenomenon such as excessive rainfall. Design/methodology/approach - The paper adopts a case study approach to meet the objectives...

Purpose – In June of 2001, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Tokyo Gas Supply Company (TGSC) made a zero-cost risk swap contract on the average temperature of August and September of 2001 in Tokyo for their adverse situations. This is an exchange of two options on the average...

The paper provides an introduction to recent developments in derivatives markets and an overview of emerging research on the implications of derivatives for international business. The influence of derivatives transactions is becoming pervasive in national and international finance markets, and...

This paper considers how a tax on financial transactions could be applied to three broad and partially overlapping categories of financial instruments: (1) exchange-traded instruments; (2) over-the-counter instruments; and, (3) foreign exchange instruments. For each category, the paper examines...

The availability of financial instruments related to indices that track global financial conditions and risk appetite can potentially offer countries alternative options to insure against external shocks. This paper shows that while these instruments can explain much of the in-sample variation...

This paper reviews policy tools that have been used and/or are available for policy makers in the region to lean against the wind and review relevant country experiences using them. The instruments examined include: (i) capital requirements, dynamic provisioning, and leverage ratios; (ii)...

Driving infrastructure development, notably mobilizing financial resources for infrastructure projects, has been challenging in many countries. This study includes two parts: an empirical analysis of macroeconomic risks associated with infrastructure booms, and a case study of four emerging...