This Economic Letter examines the link between house price dynamics in Ireland during the recent housing boom and the composition of buyers in the market. The analysis provides information on the relative riskiness of different buyer types, a topic that has increased in importance with the...

This Letter attempts to assess the potential impact of implementing the recently proposed proportionate loan-to-value ratio on the wider housing market. Using a dual micro and macro simulation strategy, we find evidence for some moderate negative impacts of the LTV cap on house prices and...

This Letter presents a simple indicator which can be used to monitor fragmentation in euro area sovereign bond markets. The indicator is a moving average cross-correlation of bond yield log returns between Germany and other euro area countries. We suggest that a lower correlation implies greater...

This Letter compiles information on central bank minutes from a number of sources. First, we look at the academic literature which suggests that central bank minutes can provide additional information above other forms of communication. Second, we make use of a comprehensive set of information...

This Letter provides an overview of Irish international banking statistics, which detail the international financial linkages of Irish banks. The complexity of the Irish banking system, in particular the role of the IFSC, poses challenges in interpreting these data. In order to illustrate some...

The Central Bank of Ireland consultation paper on macro-prudential policy for residential real estate asked whether adequately insured mortgages should be exempt from the proposed loan-to-value (LTV) limit. An exemption for insured mortgages could alleviate the liquidity constraints associated...

The Central Bank recently published a Consultation document on macro-prudential policy for residential mortgage lending including limits on loan-to-value and loan-to-income ratios. The consultation process highlighted a number of potential implications of these measures for the housing market,...

Financing for working capital and investment is essential for the survival and growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The recent financial crisis has provoked much debate in Ireland and Europe around the provision of bank financing to SMEs. This article provides empirical evidence, using...

At the end of 2012, almost one-fifth of owner-occupier mortgages were in arrears. A further five per cent not in arrears were classied as "restructured" loans. This Economic Letter looks at the impact of financial distress on household expenditure patterns by comparing the behaviour of...

This Letter describes the construction of a new monthly business cycle indicator of the Irish economy. The index of economic activity draws information from a range categories of data covering output, income, employment, external demand and credit. A statistical method is used to extract a...