Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

"This paper studies how portfolios with a global investment scope are actually allocated internationally using a unique micro dataset on U.S. equity mutual funds. While mutual funds have great flexibility to invest globally, they invest in a surprisingly limited number of stocks, around 100. The number of holdings in stocks and countries from a given region declines as the investment scope of funds broadens. This restrictive investment practice has costs. A mean-variance strategy shows unexploited gains from further international diversification. Mutual funds investing globally could achieve better risk-adjusted returns by broadening their asset allocation, including stocks held by more specialized funds within the same mutual fund family (company). This investment pattern is not explained by lack of information or instruments, transaction costs, or a better ability of global funds to minimize negative outcomes. Instead, industry practices related to organizational factors seem to play an important role"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.

General --- Financial Aspects of Economic Integration --- Portfolio Choice • Investment Decisions --- International Financial Markets

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

The world is on an unsustainable path. Financial sector participants are becoming more conscious of the impact of their economic, social and environmental footprint. As the investor community makes progress towards integrating environment, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment mandates, particularly for equities and corporate debt, integrating these factors into the sovereign debt asset class has lagged- although investment practices and approaches are evolving. As the financial ecosystem changes, the Debt Management Office (DMO), as the main financing arm of the state, would benefit greatly from understanding how these changes affect the core Public Debt Management (PDM) mandate and how to respond to the growing investor demand for sustainable finance. The paper presents an overview of areas in which DMOs can respond to the changing world and proposes six ESG market readiness factors as well as a framework to help formulate DMO strategy in the area of ESG investing. The paper also concludes that in less developed markets, given weak institutional arrangements, it is often better to concentrate development efforts on the local capital market as this will ultimately support a more sustainable economy in the long run.

Debt Markets --- Environment --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Green Issues --- International Financial Markets --- Public Sector Development --- Sovereign Debt

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Over the years, the demand for seamless and inexpensive cross-border payments has grown in parallel with growth in international e-commerce, remittances and tourism. Yet, cross-border payments have not kept pace with the intensive modernization that has characterized domestic payment services worldwide. An alternative avenue to modernize delivery of cross-border payment services is being increasingly explored in the context of central banks issuing their own digital currency. A central bank digital currency (CBDC) could well incorporate options and features specifically designed to execute cross-border payments, with a view to reducing the inefficiencies and rents discussed above by shortening the payments value chain. This report discusses the use of CBDCs for cross-border payments. The report reviews the models that have been developed for this purpose to date and discusses critical legal issues that arise in the context of cross-border use of CBDC. This report is organized as follows. Section II specifically discusses the models developed jointly by the Bank of Canada, Bank of England, and Monetary Authority of Singapore; Section III evaluates how cross-border CBDCs address challenges of the existing correspondent banking arrangement; Section IV discusses the legal issues involved in cross-border use of CBDCs, and Section V concludes the report with some general remarks.

Cryptocurrency --- Currencies and Exchange Rates --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Regulation and Supervision --- Financial Structures --- International Financial Markets

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This paper highlights selected recent developments in the economies of sub-Saharan Africa. It notes that the outlook for commodity prices has improved, and with it the outlook for economic activity beyond 1994; it also notes, however, the need for higher savings and investment to sustain growth over the medium term. The paper also covers two aspects of structural adjustment: the liberalization of exchange and trade systems, which has been extensive and has resulted in a sharp reduction in exchange market distortions; and the momentum of regional integration in the CFA countries and in the Southern Africa region.

Finance: General --- Foreign Exchange --- International Financial Markets --- Currency --- Foreign exchange --- Finance --- Currency markets --- Exchange rate arrangements --- Exchange rates --- Exchange rate adjustments --- Financial markets --- Foreign exchange market --- South Africa

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

The literature on two-tier foreign exchange markets has concentrated on relating various shocks to the spread between the exchange rates relevant to the two tiers of the exchange market. In some earlier work we found that none of the typical predictions of theory held up empirically as BLEU spread explanations. In particular we could not find any domestic policy variables that significantly explained the BLEU spread. Our finding led us to reformulate two-tier market theory. We find that if domestic agents are risk neutral then no domestic policy variables are predicted to influence the spread.

Currency markets --- Currency --- Exchange rates --- Finance --- Finance: General --- Financial markets --- Foreign exchange market --- Foreign Exchange --- Foreign exchange --- International Financial Markets --- Purchasing power parity --- Belgium