This paper discusses instruments and operating procedures of the conduct of monetary policy in the major industrial countries. The exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System (EMS) provides clear evidence of the role of exchange rates in influencing monetary policy; the commitment of...

This paper discusses comparison of economic and social indicators in the year 1988 between Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and German Democratic Republic (GDR). The budgetary costs of unification will be substantially larger than initially envisaged. Moreover, if one adds to the budget the...

Using daily data for the January 1997 to June 2002 period, we analyze the impact of a broad set of macroeconomic news on stock prices in the United States and Germany. With GARCH specifications we test five hypotheses and find that news on real economic activity has a significant impact on stock...

This paper investigates empirically the pass-through of money market interest rates to retail banking interest rates in Chile, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and five European countries. Overall, Chile''s pass-through does not appear atypical. Based on a standard...

This paper uses micro data from the German Socio-Economic Panel to document that the wage structure in West Germany was remarkably stable during 1984-97, with little variation over time in wage or earnings inequality between and within different skill groups. Empirical evidence suggests that...

We study the properties of a test that determines whether two time series comove. The test computes a simple nonparametric statistic for “concordance,” which describes the proportion of time that the cycles of two series spend in the same phase. We establish the size and power properties of...

This Technical Note focuses on banking sector structure in Germany. Germany’s banking system comprises three “pillars” private commercial banks, public sector banks, and cooperative banks—distinguished by the ownership structure and business orientation. The German banking system...

As part of the 2011 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) update for Germany, this Technical Note reviews recent developments of mortgage-covered bond (Pfandbrief) and mortgage securitization markets in Germany, and explores future prospects for each against the background of ongoing...

This note summarizes the stress tests undertaken for the German banking system as part of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) update. Solvency tests for the German banking system assessed medium-term vulnerabilities under two adverse macroeconomic scenarios. The tests considered a...