The empirical study of technology shocks is intensively conducted to evaluate plausibility of the technology-driven real business cycle hypothesis. A popular method is to identify technology shocks by the long-run restriction that those solely have permanent effects on labor productivity in the...

This paper provides an empirical investigation of monetary policy in Japan in the zero interest rate environment that has held sway since 1999. In particular, we focus on the effects of the zero interest rate commitment and of quantitative monetary easing on medium- to long-term interest rates...

Repurchase Agreements (Repo) transactions are widely used as a risk-free means of raising or investing funds. Repo transactions can be categorized into the following two types: (i) general repos whose purpose is to borrow or lend funds, and (ii) special repos whose purpose is to borrow or lend...

This paper examines whether search and matching frictions in labor markets can account for cross-country differences in business cycle properties. The particular interest is the joint effect of two institutional variables, employment protection and the replacement income of unemployed workers. I...

Firms listed on JASDAQ can select either the order-driven (hereafter OD) system, where formal market makers are not involved, or the market-maker (hereafter MM) system for the trading of stocks. How differences in trading systems affect pricing and liquidity is a key issue in the study of market...

This paper reviews the evolution of China's capital controls over the past decade, estimates their strength, assesses their effectiveness in influencing capital flows at a macro level, and draws policy implications for the financial market reforms in the coming years. While capital controls...

This paper analyzes the Japanese government bond (JGB) yield curve using the Black-Gorovoi-Linetsky (BGL) model of interest rates as options with a view to monitoring the JGB market expectations about the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) zero interest rate policy (ZIRP). Main findings are as follows....

A shock to one country affects output growth in other countries not only through bilateral trade channels but also via output fluctuations in third countries. This paper attempts to quantify the impact of external shocks on growth rates and show how it has evolved over time. In order to capture...