We examine whether bank earnings volatility depends on bank size and the degree of concentration in the banking sector. Using quarterly data for non-investment banks in the United States for the period 2004Q1-2009Q4 and controlling for the quality of management, leverage, and diversification ,...

Using data for more than 200 banks from 21 OECD countries for the period 2002 to 2008, we examine the impact of bank regulation and supervision on banking risk. Supervisory control, and regulations on capital and market entry have a significant impact on 'capital and asset risk', while...

Most industrialized countries entered the 1980s with their public finances in disarray. At the time, persistent deficits pushed up public debt-to-GDP ratios. Despite such similarities, deficit spending varies substantially between countries and within countries over time. Recent theoretical and...

Contemporary views often support the idea that a high level of central bank independence, together with a clear mandate for it to restrain inflation, are important institutional devices for maintaining price stability. The meaning and policy implications of central bank independence are...

Contemporary views often support the idea that a high level of central bank independence, together with a clear mandate for it to restrain inflation, are important institutional devices for maintaining price stability. The meaning and policy implications of central bank independence are...

This report studies the reaction of the level and volatility of the euro-dollar exchange rate to statements of ECB officials during the first years of EMU. We focus on statements on monetary policy and the (potential) strength of the euro. We find that the Bundesbank has dominated the news...

The recent wave of mergers and acquisitions in the European banking sector has raised concerns that bank profitability will rise because of less competitive market conditions. This paper analyses the relationship between concentration, competitiveness, efficiency and profitability in the...

This paper explores the importance of wealth effects for monetary policy in the context of the policy strategy of the European Central Bank (ECB). Causality tests indicate that nominal equity prices have predictive power for ECB policy indicators of real activity, while housing prices have...

This paper evaluates the Stability and Growth Pact. After examining the rules in place and the experience so far, the Pact is analysed from a political economy perspective, focusing on the choice for so-called soft law and drawing inferences from characteristics of successful fiscal rules at the...