This paper argues that using gold as collateral for highly distressed bonds would bring great benefits to the euro area in terms of reduced financing costs and bridge-financing. It is mindful of the legal issues that this will raise and that such a suggestion will be highly controversial....

We investigate the linkage between business cycle convergence and financial portfolio choice for a panel of 18 EU countries. We construct an index of similarity of financial portfolios which we then put into context with the view that 'the financial world' has an impact on business cycles and...

This paper comments on the role of the Monetary Dialogue in the context of an evolving monetary policy. The discussion is conducted in terms of the adoption of forward guidance on interest rates by the European Central Bank (ECB), the ECB's model choice and data revision policies in inflation...

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) of southern euro-area economies (e.g. Italy, Spain) pay significantly higher borrowing rates than their peers of the core (e.g. Germany, France) and this divergence is widening. It is argued that severe market failures prevent SMEs in southern euro area...

Die Diskussion über die Wahrscheinlichkeit asymmetrischer Schocks in Europa hat trotz Gründung der Europäischen Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion an Aktualität nicht verloren. In diesem Beitrag wird daher die Frage gestellt, welche fiskalischen Anpassungsmechanismen geeignet sind, solche...

Der mittel- und osteuropäische Banken- und Versicherungsmarkt konnte nach dem Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs hohe Zuwächse verzeichnen. Dennoch kann sowohl der Banken- als auch der Versicherungssektor in den mittel- und osteuropäischen Ländern (MOEL) nach wie vor als ein "Emerging Market"...

Wandernde Blasen, Krisen und hektische geldpolitische Rettungsaktionen haben das globale Zinsniveau gegen Null und die Staatsverschuldung in den großen Industrieländern auf historische Rekordstände gebracht. Das Papier analysiert die Optionen für den Exit aus Niedrigzinspolitiken und nicht...

Two of the four macroeconomic adjustment programmes, Portugal and Ireland s, can be considered a success in the sense that the initial expectations in terms of adjustment, both fiscal and external, were broadly fulfilled. A rebound based on exports has taken hold in these two countries, but a...

Abstract. Deviations of policy interest rates from the levels implied by the Taylor rule have been persistent after the turn of the century even before the financial crisis. These deviations could be due to lower real interest rates, as stated by the savings glut hypothesis as well as the...

Member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU) initiated wide-ranging labor market reforms in the last decade. This process is ongoing as countries that are faced with serious labor market imbalances perceive reforms as the fastest way to restore competitiveness within a currency union....