Rating Agency Actions and the Pricing of Debt and Equity of European Banks: What Can we Infer About Private Sector Monitoring of Bank Soundness?
Reint E. Gropp, A. J. Richards
Economic Notes,
No. 3,
2001
Abstract
The recent consultative papers by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has raised the possibility of an explicit role for external rating agencies in the assessment of the credit risk of banks’ assets, including interbank claims. Any judgement on the merits of this proposal calls for an assessment of the information contained in credit ratings and its relationship to other publicly available information on the financial health of banks and borrowers. We assess this issue via an event study of rating change announcements by leading international rating agencies, focusing on rating changes for European banks for which data on bond and equity prices are available. We find little evidence of announcement effects on bond prices, which may reflect the lack of liquidity in bond markets in Europe during much of our sample period. For equity prices, we find strong effects of ratings changes, although some of our results may suffer from contamination by contemporaneous news events. We also test for pre-announcement and post-announcement effects, but find little evidence of either. Overall, our results suggest that ratings agencies may perform a useful role in summarizing and obtaining non-public information on banks and that monitoring of banks’ risk through bond holders appears to be relatively limited in Europe. The relatively weak monitoring by bondholders casts some doubt on the effectiveness of a subordinated debt requirement as a supervisory tool in the European context, at least until bond markets are more developed.
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System change in statutory pension insurance does not solve the intergenerational distribution conflict
Olaf Fuchs
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 16,
2000
Abstract
Der Mechanismus eines Umlageverfahren wird modelltheoretisch analysiert und mit dem des Kapitaldeckungsverfahrens verglichen. Es wird gezeigt, dass der wesentliche Unterschied des Umlageverfahrens eine Subventionierung der ersten Generationen auf Kosten später geborener Generationen ist. Der Übergang von einem Umlageverfahren zu einem Kapitaldeckungsverfahren kann daher die nachfolgenden Generationen nicht entlasten.
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Financial crisis and problems yet to solve - Conference proceedings
IWH-Sonderhefte,
No. 6,
2000
Abstract
Since the beginning of 1997, a currency and/or banking crisis broke out in several transition countries (Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine). In 1995, Hungary avoided a financial crisis by adjusting properly her macroeconomic policies. Financial markets in transition countries are still small. They gain, however, more and more importance for the entire economy. Part of the countries mentioned are candidates for EU membership. They have to show their ability to stabilize their exchange rates and financial sectors. The fact that overcoming the financial crisis in Asia and Latin America required international assistance (e.g. IMF) underlines the political importance of strategies of preventing such crises in the EU's immediate neighborhood.
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Die Region Halle-Leipzig im Wandel vom Industriestandort zum modernen Dienstleistungsstandort
Martin T. W. Rosenfeld
Wirtschaftsstandort Halle,
2000
Abstract
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Foreign banks in economic development: Experiences from the regulated financial system of South Korea
Ralf Müller
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 110,
2000
Abstract
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Labor Market Analysis and Public Policy: The Case of Morocco
Guillermo Hakim, Julia Lane, Javier Miranda
World Bank Economic Review,
No. 3,
1999
Abstract
This article uses detailed industry and household data to understand why Morocco's labor market performed poorly in 1985–95. The data indicate that marked structural changes and weak demand in the product market were responsible. This article makes two contributions to the literature. The first is specific: it underscores that the demand for labor is a derived demand and that the performance of the product market is an important determinant of the performance of the labor market. The second is more general: it demonstrates that this kind of microeconomic analysis, using data sets that are often available in developing countries, can inform policy design.
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The Links between Polish and International Financial Markets
Thomas Linne
Externe Publikationen,
1999
Abstract
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Länder specific emphasis in active labor market policy
Doris Gladisch
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 15,
1996
Abstract
Die Landesregierungen in Ostdeutschland tragen mit eigenen Mitteln zur Ausgestaltung der aktiven Elemente der Arbeitsmarktpolitik bei. Mit ihrer kompensatorischen Politik konnten sie den Rückgang der Bundesausgaben für aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik zumindest mildern. Gleichwohl ist der finanzielle Spielraum vergleichsweise gering.
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The Polish national bank's tightrope walk between price level stabilization and securing strong economic growth
Thomas Linne
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 16,
1996
Abstract
Das relative starke Wirtschaftswachstum Polens wird von hartnäckigen Problemen bei der Stabilisierung des Preisniveaus begleitet. Der Zielkonflikt für die polnische Nationalbank besteht darin, die Zins- und Wechselkurspolitik so zu gestalten, dass sie einerseits eine moderatere Preissteigerungsrate erreicht, andererseits aber die Wachstumschancen nicht gefährdet.
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Stock markets in Central and Eastern Europe: Investors euphoric despite institutional obstacles
Thomas Linne
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 1,
1996
Abstract
Die Massenprivatisierung in verschiedenen Ländern Mittel- und Osteuropas hat entscheidende Impulse für die Entwicklung der Aktienmärkte gegeben. Die anfängliche Begeisterung ausländischer Investoren ist angesichts der Liquiditätsprobleme dieser Märkte übertrieben. Für die Kapitalnachfrage der inländischen Unternehmen bedeutet die geringe Liquidität eine bindende Restriktion bei der Kapitalbeschaffung. Als Ausweichreaktion streben deshalb einige Unternehmen eine Börsennotierung im Ausland an.
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