Do Better Capitalized Banks Lend Less? Long-run Panel Evidence from Germany
Claudia M. Buch, Esteban Prieto
International Finance,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
Higher capital features prominently in proposals for regulatory reform. But how does increased bank capital affect business loans? The real costs of increased bank capital in terms of reduced loans are widely believed to be substantial. But the negative real-sector implications need not be severe. In this paper, we take a long-run perspective by analysing the link between the capitalization of the banking sector and bank loans using panel cointegration models. We study the evolution of the German economy for the past 44 years. Higher bank capital tends to be associated with higher business loan volume, and we find no evidence for a negative effect. This result holds both for pooled regressions as well as for the individual banking groups in Germany.
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Outperforming IMF Forecasts by the Use of Leading Indicators
Katja Drechsel, Sebastian Giesen, Axel Lindner
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 4,
2014
Abstract
This study analyzes the performance of the IMF World Economic Outlook forecasts for world output and the aggregates of both the advanced economies and the emerging and developing economies. With a focus on the forecast for the current and the next year, we examine whether IMF forecasts can be improved by using leading indicators with monthly updates. Using a real-time dataset for GDP and for the indicators we find that some simple single-indicator forecasts on the basis of data that are available at higher frequency can significantly outperform the IMF forecasts if the publication of the Outlook is only a few months old.
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An Empirical Analysis of Legal Insider Trading in The Netherlands
Frank de Jong, Jérémie Lefebvre, Hans Degryse
De Economist,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
In this paper, we employ a registry of legal insider trading for Dutch listed firms to investigate the information content of trades by corporate insiders. Using a standard event-study methodology, we examine short-term stock price behavior around trades. We find that purchases are followed by economically large abnormal returns. This result is strongest for purchases by top executives and for small market capitalization firms, which is consistent with the hypothesis that legal insider trading is an important channel through which information flows to the market. We analyze also the impact of the implementation of the Market Abuse Directive (European Union Directive 2003/6/EC), which strengthens the existing regulation in the Netherlands. We show that the new regulation reduced the information content of sales by top executives.
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Impact of Personal Economic Environment and Personality Factors on Individual Financial Decision Making
S. Prinz, G. Gründer, R. D. Hilgers, Oliver Holtemöller, I. Vernaleken
Frontiers in Decision Neuroscience,
No. 158,
2014
Abstract
This study on healthy young male students aimed to enlighten the associations between an individual’s financial decision making and surrogate makers for environmental factors covering long-term financial socialization, the current financial security/responsibility, and the personal affinity to financial affairs as represented by parental income, funding situation, and field of study. A group of 150 male young healthy students underwent two versions of the Holt and Laury (2002) lottery paradigm (matrix and random sequential version). Their financial decision was mainly driven by the factor “source of funding”: students with strict performance control (grants, scholarships) had much higher rates of relative risk aversion (RRA) than subjects with support from family (ΔRRA = 0.22; p = 0.018). Personality scores only modestly affected the outcome. In an ANOVA, however, also the intelligence quotient significantly and relevantly contributed to the explanation of variance; the effects of parental income and the personality factors “agreeableness” and “openness” showed moderate to modest – but significant – effects. These findings suggest that environmental factors more than personality factors affect risk aversion.
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Economic Development in East Germany since German Unification. Results, Shortcomings and Implications for Economic Policy
Gerhard Heimpold, Mirko Titze
S. Collignon, P. Esposito (eds), Competitiveness in the European Economy, Routledge Studies in the European Economy, Bd. 29,
2014
Abstract
The contribution provides an overview on the economic development in East Germany after unification and draws conclusions for economic policy.
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Die Halbwertszeit von Superstars ist kurz – nicht nur in der Unterhaltungsbranche!
Oliver Holtemöller
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
Jüngst fand eine wissenschaftliche Studie mit dem Titel „From Sick Man of Europe to Economic Superstar: Germany’s Resurgent Economy“ große Aufmerksamkeit in den Medien. Tatsächlich ist die ökonomische Entwicklung in Deutschland gegenwärtig „super“: Das Produktionspotenzial ist normal ausgelastet, die Inflationsrate ist niedrig, und die Erwerbstätigkeit befindet sich auf einem Rekordhoch. Ein Superstar zu sein, muss allerdings nicht von Dauer sein. Jene aus dem Fernsehen sind meist nach kurzer Zeit vergessen. Ähnlich könnte es auch mit der ökonomischen Lage in Deutschland sein. Wenn sich Unternehmen und Politik nicht laufend den neuen Herausforderungen stellen, kann der Superstar schnell wieder abstürzen.
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In Search for Yield? Survey-based Evidence on Bank Risk Taking
Claudia M. Buch, S. Eickmeier, Esteban Prieto
Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control,
No. 43,
2014
Abstract
Monetary policy can have an impact on economic and financial stability through the risk taking of banks. Falling interest rates might induce investment into risky activities. This paper provides evidence on the link between monetary policy and bank risk taking. We use a factor-augmented vector autoregressive model (FAVAR) for the US for the period 1997–2008. Besides standard macroeconomic indicators, we include factors summarizing information provided in the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Terms of Business Lending (STBL). These data provide information on banks׳ new loans as well as interest rates for different loan risk categories and different banking groups. We identify a risk-taking channel of monetary policy by distinguishing responses to monetary policy shocks across different types of banks and different loan risk categories. Following an expansionary monetary policy shock, small domestic banks increase their exposure to risk. Large domestic banks do not change their risk exposure. Foreign banks take on more risk only in the mid-2000s, when interest rates were ‘too low for too long’.
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FDI Micro Database – Methodological Note – Survey 2013 in East Germany and Selected CEE Countries
Andrea Gauselmann, Björn Jindra, Philipp Marek
Einzelveröffentlichungen,
2013
Abstract
With the integration of post-communist countries into the European and global economy
after 1990, there was strong research interest into the role of multinational enterprises
(MNEs) for economic restructuring and technological catching-up. Most of the existing
empirical studies on locational determinants of FDI and host country effects did not take
account of East Germany. This might be for different reasons: Firstly, theoretical and
empirical difficulties derive from the fact that East Germany followed a distinct transition
pattern as it became a region subsumed in a larger and more mature economy. Secondly,
East Germany received private investment from foreign as well as West German firms. Only
the first can be considered as a foreign direct investment (FDI). Finally, there had long been
a lack of micro data to adequately analyse the activities of corresponding firms from a
production as well as technological perspective.
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Können altindustrielle Städte zu “Hot Spots“ der Kreativwirtschaft werden? Das Beispiel der Medienwirtschaft in Halle
Martin T. W. Rosenfeld
F. Amey und J. Ringel (Hrsg.), Hotspots der Stadtentwicklung. Methoden, Praxis und Perspektiven der gemanagten Stadt,
2014
Abstract
In den letzten Jahren wird die Kreativwirtschaft zunehmend als wichtiger Motor für die Entwicklung von Städten angesehen. Gerade in der Medienwirtschaft wird eine Zukunftsbranche für solche Städte gesehen, in denen traditionelle Branchen an Bedeutung verloren haben. So setzt auch die Stadt Halle seit einiger Zeit auf die Entwicklung der Medienwirtschaft. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich die Medienwirtschaft in der Stadt Halle in verschiedenen Teilbereichen gut entwickelt hat – obgleich die vorhandenen Standortfaktoren eigentlich nur bedingt für eine Ansiedlung von Medienfirmen in Halle sprechen und deshalb die Potentiale für die weitere Entwicklung begrenzt sein dürften.
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5. Halle Colloquy on Local Public Economics “Cooperation between Jurisdictions: Assessing the Evidence for Cost Savings and Economic Development“
Peter Haug
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2013
Abstract
Am 21. und 22. November 2013 fand am IWH in Zusammenarbeit mit der Universität Kassel (Lehrstuhl für Finanzwissenschaft, Professor Dr. Ivo Bischoff) das nunmehr 5. Hallesche Kolloquium zur kommunalen Wirtschaft statt. Die diesjährige Veranstaltung stand unter dem Zeichen einer Neuausrichtung. Das Programm wurde im Vergleich zu den Vorgängerveranstaltungen stärker auf das internationale wissenschaftliche Publikum zugeschnitten und das Themenspektrum ergänzend zum Kernthema „interkommunale Kooperation“ auf alle Bereiche der Kommunalfinanzen ausgeweitet.
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