We use a variation on the business cycle accounting method of Chari, Kehoe and McGrattan to study the business cycle in Argentina from 1972 to 2006. We use capital utilization as a household decision variable to be able to better extract the wedge that functions as a tax on capital. Applying the...

The BCRA publishes monthly an expectations survey (REM) that summaries the forecasts and projections of a group of economic analysts and consultants. The BCRA publishes only the mean, the median, and the standard deviation of the sample received. The logic for using these statistics is that all...

The level of bankarization (access to and use of banking services) is relatively low in Argentina both in historical terms and compared with similarly developed countries. This is shown by indicators both of access to and use of banking services. This paper analyzes a unique database containing...

Financial constraints affect firms’ financial and productive decisions generating substantial macroeconomic implications in terms of investment, economic growth, inflation and income distribution. Despite its relevance, financial constraints are not directly observable. However, empirically...

This paper analyzes the determinants of the interest rate of short-term unsecured loan inter-bank market (call) in Argentina. The results show that the heterogeneous nature of the entities, in terms of size and origin of ownership, impacts on the interest rate agreed. Other additional aspects,...

The uncertainty around monetary policy decision-making requires central banks to make extensive use of macroeconomic models both to analyze the current economic situation and to forecast the evolution of the main economic variables. The Small Economic Model (SEM) for Argentina describes in a...

This paper analyzes the evolution and differential scope of restrictions to financing for the companies surveyed by the Large Companies Survey (ENGE) of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) during the period 1995-2003. The main purpose of this study is to differentiate results...

The principal components methodology allows us to summarize the relevant information of a series of economic indicators. In this paper, this methodology is used on series commonly used by the BCRA to follow up aggregate demand and supply conditions. The principal components are assessed in terms...

This paper analyzes the relationship between the quality of the commercial credit portfolio and diversification in the financial entities of Argentina during the period 1998-2006. To this effect, a database of the financial sector (banking and non-banking) is used, which allows to consider three...

The analysis of the output gap dynamics (the difference between the observed and the non-inflationary potential output) is a widely used tool for structural models employed by central banks. In such models, the output gap is a key variable to explain the dynamics of prices and wages. However,...