One of the most striking features of the world economy over the last twenty-five years has been the sharp decline in the real interest rate from approximately 4% in the early 1990s to -1.5% in 2013 (figure 1). During this period there have been two waves of large capital inflows into emerging economies ...

At least since the time of Irving Fisher economists as well as the general public have regarded the interest rate as the most important variable in the economy. But in times of crisis collateral rates (margins or leverage equivalently) are far more important. Despite the cries of newspapers to lower ...

On 16 December 2008 the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the federal funds rate—its traditional monetary policy instrument—to essentially zero in response to the most severe U.S. financial crisis since the Great Depression. Because U.S. currency carries an interest ...

The long period of low interest rates that followed the global financial crisis has rekindled interest in how short-term interest rates affect bank behavior. In particular it has led to a debate on how low policy rates influence bank risk-taking. This risk-taking channel of monetary policy corresponds ...

The economic situation in emerging markets has deteriorated in recent years. Perhaps the single most important event especially for Latin America has been the end of the so called commodity supercycle which intensified with the collapse in oil prices in late 2014. But the trend of weaker currencies ...

The global economy of today 'is a small world after all.' The high degree of international trade integration and financial interconnectedness has created tight linkages across most countries even between countries that may be very distant geographically or that may not have significant trade or financial ...

Since late 2008 when short-term interest rates reached their zero lower bound central banks have been conducting monetary policy through two primary instruments: quantitative easing (QE) in which they buy long-term government bonds and other long-term securities and so-called forward guidance in which ...

This paper is about an economy in a liquidity trap that is an environment with a zero nominal interest rate deflationary pressures and subpar growth. The paper shows two fiscal policy multipliers in a relatively standard New Keynesian liquidity trap economy with taxation costs. It computes real ...

The 'Great Contraction' in global economic activity triggered by the financial crisis and the extraordinary fiscal and monetary measures that public authorities had to undertake in order to put the economy back on track by putting public finances under heavy strains and leading to extremely low ...

The international financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008- 09 called for a range of significant policy measures by central banks beyond aggressive interest rate cuts. Measures have ranged from improving international coordination to purchasing local private loan portfolios and direct intervention ...