The paper examines factors affecting exchange rate volatility, with an emphasis on structural features of the foreign exchange regime. It draws for the first time on detailed survey data collected by the IMF on foreign exchange market organization and regulations. Key findings are that...

This paper analyzes the linkages between capital account liberalization and other policies influencing financial sector stability. Drawing on country experiences, the paper develops an operational framework for sequencing and coordinating capital account liberalization with other policies aimed...

The paper examines factors affecting exchange rate volatility, with an emphasis on structural features of the foreign exchange regime. It draws for the first time on detailed survey data collected by the IMF on foreign exchange market organization and regulations. Key findings are that...

Despite increasing exchange rate flexibility, central banks in emerging markets still intervene in their foreign exchange markets for several reasons. In doing so, they face many operational questions, including on the degree of transparency and the choice of markets and counterparties. This...

Long-run movements of real exchange rates are studied using a panel data set comprising 51 economies. The purchasing power parity hypothesis (PPP) is examined first using unit root tests. It is found that PPP does not hold for the full sample of countries, but it may hold for the advanced...

This paper argues that securities transaction taxes ""throw sand"" not in the wheels, but into the engine of financial markets where the transformation of latent demands into realized transactions takes place. The paper considers the impact of transaction taxes on financial markets in the...

This papers reviews economic and financial developments in Germany since its reunification nearly five years ago; and analyzes some critical issues that have featured prominently in the policy debate over this period and are likely to continue attracting attention in the years ahead

Over the coming decades, demographic developments will lead to a significant increase in public outlays on pensions and health care, relative to national income. This study extends earlier work by considering the adverse effects of taxation on the determinants of economic growth -- in...