Flow of Conjunctural Information and Forecast of Euro Area Economic Activity
Katja Drechsel, L. Maurin
Journal of Forecasting,
Nr. 3,
2011
Abstract
Combining forecasts, we analyse the role of information flow in computing short-term forecasts up to one quarter ahead for the euro area GDP and its main components. A dataset of 114 monthly indicators is set up and simple bridge equations are estimated. The individual forecasts are then pooled, using different weighting schemes. To take into consideration the release calendar of each indicator, six forecasts are compiled successively during the quarter. We found that the sequencing of information determines the weight allocated to each block of indicators, especially when the first month of hard data becomes available. This conclusion extends the findings of the recent literature. Moreover, when combining forecasts, two weighting schemes are found to outperform the equal weighting scheme in almost all cases. Compared to an AR forecast, these improve by more than 40% the forecast performance for GDP in the current and next quarter.
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IT Use, Productivity, and Market Power in Banking
Michael Koetter, Felix Noth
Journal of Financial Stability,
Nr. 4,
2013
Abstract
Information management is a core process in banking that can resolve information asymmetries and thereby help to mitigate competitive pressure. We test if the use of information technology (IT) contributes to bank output, and how IT-augmented bank productivity relates to differences in market power. Detailed bank-level information on the use of IT reveals a substantial upward bias in bank productivity estimates when ignoring banks’ IT expenditures. IT-augmented bank productivity correlates positively with Lerner markups. A mere increase in IT expenditures, however, reduces markups. Results hold across a range of bank output definitions and productivity estimation methods.
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International Banking and Liquidity Allocation: Cross-border Financial Services versus Multinational Banking
Diemo Dietrich, Uwe Vollmer
Journal of Financial Services Research,
2010
Abstract
Diese Studie untersucht den komparativen Vorteil multinationaler Banken gegenüber dem grenzüberschreitenden Handel mit Finanzdienstleistungen hinsichtlich der Fähigkeit, vom globalen Zugang zu Finanzierungsquellen zu profitieren. Es wird argumentiert, dass der komparative Vorteil durch Nutzen und Kosten einer besonderen Kenntnis lokaler Märkte bestimmt wird. Für multinationale Banken liegt der Nutzen darin, eine höhere Produktivität zu erreichen und mehr Liquidität bereit zu stellen. Die Kosten bestehen darin, dass bestehdne Interessenskonflikte nur aufgrund der Spezifität des Wissens auch zu Ineffizienzen auf den bankinternen Kapitalmärkten führen; diese sind aber erforderlich, um Liquidität grenzüberschreitend zu alloziieren. Es werden die Bedingungen analysiert, unter denen multinationale Banken einen komparativen Vorteil haben, und es wird gezeigt, dass Mindesteigenkapitalvorschriften einen Einfluss hierauf ausüben, da sie das Ausmaß der Ineffizienzen interner Kapitalmärkte für verschiedene Organisationsformen unterschiedlich beeinflussen.
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Finanzkrise – Schadensbegrenzung in der Wirtschaft: Übertragung der Probleme auf die realwirtschaftliche Ebene
Ulrich Blum
Wirtschaftsdienst,
Nr. 12,
2008
Abstract
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Das bedingungslose Grundeinkommen und seine Finanzierung
Ingmar Kumpmann
cege-Report Februar 2008,
2008
Abstract
Antwort auf einen Beitrag von Robert Schwager im vorangegangenen cege-Report. Das bedingungslose Grundeinkommen soll Armut reduzieren. Zu seiner Finanzierung können bisherige Sozialleistungen und Steuervergünstigungen teilweise entfallen. Kern der Finanzierungsfrage ist jedoch die Folge des Grundeinkommens für die Leistungsanreize in der Ökonomie.
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Performance of European countries in biotechnology - How does Europe compare to the USA?
Thomas Reiss, Iciar Dominguez Lacasa
International Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 10 (4),
2008
Abstract
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Growth, Volatility, and Credit Market Imperfections: Evidence from German Firms
Claudia M. Buch, Jörg Döpke
Journal of Economic Studies,
2008
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it studies whether output volatility and growth are linked at the firm-level, using data for German firms. Second, it explores whether the link between volatility and growth depends on the degree of credit market imperfections.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a novel firm-level dataset provided by the Deutsche Bundesbank, the so-called Financial Statements Data Pool. The dataset has time series observations for German firms for the period 1997-2004, and the authors use information on the debt-to-assets or leverage ratio of firms to proxy for credit-constraints at the firm-level. As additional proxies for the importance of credit market imperfections, we use information on the size and on the legal status of firms.
Findings – The authors find that higher volatility has a negative impact on growth for small and a positive impact for larger firms. Higher leverage is associated with higher growth. At the same time, there is heterogeneity in the determinants of growth across firms from different sectors and across firms with a different legal status.
Practical implications – While most traditional macroeconomic models assume that growth and volatility are uncorrelated, a number of microeconomic models suggest that the two may be linked. However, it is unclear whether the link is positive or negative. The paper presents additional evidence regarding this question. Moreover, understanding whether credit market conditions affect the link between volatility and growth is of importance for policy makers since it suggests a channel through which the credit market can have long-run welfare implications. The results stress the importance of firm-level heterogeneity for the effects and effectiveness of economic policy measures.
Originality/value – The paper has two main novel features. First, it uses a novel firm-level dataset to analyze the determinants of firm-level growth. Second, it analyzes the growth-volatility nexus using firm-level data. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper, which addresses the link between volatility, growth, and credit market imperfections using firm-level data.
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Exchange Rates and FDI: Goods versus Capital Market Frictions
Claudia M. Buch, J. Kleinert
World Economy,
im Erscheinen
Abstract
Changes in exchange rates affect countries through their impact on cross-border activities such as trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). With increasing activities of multinational firms, the FDI channel is likely to gain in importance. Economic theory provides two main explanations why changes in exchange rates can affect FDI. According to the first explanation, FDI reacts to exchange rate changes if there are information frictions on capital markets and if investment depends on firms’ net worth (capital market friction hypothesis). According to the second explanation, FDI reacts to exchange rate changes if output and factor markets are segmented, and if firm-specific assets are important (goods market friction hypothesis). We provide a unified theoretical framework of these two explanations. We analyse the implications of the model empirically using a dataset based on detailed German firm-level data. We find greater support for the goods market than for the capital market friction hypothesis.
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Do Weak Supervisory Systems Encourage Bank Risk-taking?
Claudia M. Buch, G. DeLong
Journal of Financial Stability,
2008
Abstract
Weak bank supervision could give banks the ability to shift risk from themselves to supervisors. We use cross-border bank mergers as a natural experiment to test changes in risk and the impact of supervision. We examine cross-border bank mergers and find that the supervisory structures of the partners’ countries influence changes in post-merger total risk. An acquirer from a country with strong supervision lowers total risk after a cross-border merger. However, total risk increases when the target bank is located in a country with relatively strong supervision. This result is consistent with strong host regulators limiting the risky activities of their local banks. Foreign-owned competitors could then engage in the risky projects, especially if the foreign banks’ supervisors are not strong. An acquirer entering a country with strong supervision appears to shift risk back to its home country. The results suggest that bank supervisors can reduce total banking risk in their countries by being strong.
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Bridging the biotechnology gap: policy experiences from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia.
Iciar Dominguez Lacasa
International Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 10 (4),
2008
Abstract
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