Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Topic

Refine By Series

Refine By Language

Refine By Date

—

Refine By IMF Taxonomy

Refine By JEL Taxonomy

Refine by LOC Taxonomy

Refine By THEMA Taxonomy

  • Print
  • Save

Europe > Iceland

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 37 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Foreign exchange x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Iceland: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper presents a pilot study on integrated policy framework (IPF) in Iceland. The IPF helps assess the appropriate policy responses to shocks for economies vulnerable to capital flow volatility, allowing for some market frictions. Iceland is an advanced economy pilot under the IPF with some of the frictions identified under the IPF framework. The Central Bank of Iceland implements an inflation targeting regime with the possibility of currency intervention within its mandate. The foreign exchange (FX) market in Iceland is assessed to be shallower than in other advanced economies, especially around episodes of global economic and financial stress. Foreign currency assets are mainly due to portfolio allocation of the large pension sector. The authorities should explore options to deepen the foreign currency derivatives market in a manner consistent with continued foreign exchange market stability. Iceland has a history of disruptive speculative foreign currency trading, which points to the need for moving cautiously with reforms to deepening the FX derivatives market. Reforms that could be explored include reassessing the limits on commercial banks’ derivative transactions. This would encourage greater participation of foreign investors in the domestic bond market and facilitate hedging of FX risk, thereby reducing the likelihood of disruptive exchange rate movements.
Keywords:
inflation expectation; FX Market shallowness; QIPF model; Iceland pilot study; staff team of the International Monetary Fund; Currency markets; Inflation; Central bank policy rate; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Iceland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Stress Testing and Systemic Risk Analysis
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This technical note on Iceland focuses on Stress Testing and Systemic Risk Analysis. The Financial Sector Assessment Program took place against the background of a strengthened financial sector in Iceland amid heightened uncertainty in the global economy. The Icelandic financial landscape has undergone significant structural transformation since the global financial crisis with a contracted banking sector. The banking sector is sound, but foreign exchange (FX) funding remains a vulnerability. The scenario-based bank solvency stress test confirmed the sector’s resilience to severe but plausible macro-financial shocks, with gross domestic product influence similar to the Global Financial Crisis. The adverse scenario confirms banks’ resilience to severe yet plausible adverse shocks. Although the adverse scenario produced a significant impact on bank capital ratios, no bank saw its capital ratios falling below the hurdle rates, owing to the high initial capital positions and adequate pre-provision income. The Liquidity Coverage Ratio-based stress test suggests that although the banking system on aggregate is broadly resilient to adverse liquidity conditions, it is not immune to additional liquidity outflows from pension and nonresident FX funding.
Keywords:
fair value; Bank-NBFI network; bank asset composition; bank liquidity position; Tier 1; top-down solvency stress test; stress test; interest rate projection; sensitivity analysis; Pension spending; Stress testing; Commercial banks; Liquidity; Global; Europe
Cover Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions 2017
Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions 2017
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

Abstract

The Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions has been published by the IMF since 1950. It draws on information available to the IMF from a number of sources, including that provided in the course of official staff visits to member countries, and has been prepared in close consultation with national authorities.

Keywords:
AREAER; central bank; floating exchange rate; investment funds; legal tender; foreign exchange; exchange restriction; exchange rate arrangement; monetary policy; spot market; Exchange rate arrangements; Exchange rates; Currencies; Exchange restrictions; Global; West Africa; Eastern Europe; Africa
Cover Policy Papers
Increasing Resilience to Large and Volatile Capital Flows: The Role of Macroprudential Policies - Case Studies
International Monetary Fund
NULL
Keywords:
PP; bank; central bank; financing; net capital; Banco de la República de Colombia; FX lending; parent bank; return on equity; foreign currency; financial crisis; credit growth; financial system; banking sector; monetary policy; Credit; Capital inflows; Capital flows; Loans; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Capital Controls or Macroprudential Regulation?
Mr. Anton Korinek
and
Mr. Damiano Sandri
International capital flows can create significant financial instability in emerging economies because of pecuniary externalities associated with exchange rate movements. Does this make it optimal to impose capital controls or should policymakers rely on domestic macroprudential regulation? This paper presents a tractable model to show that it is desirable to employ both types of instruments: Macroprudential regulation reduces overborrowing, while capital controls increase the aggregate net worth of the economy as a whole by also stimulating savings. The two policy measures should be set higher the greater an economy's debt burden and the higher domestic inequality. In our baseline calibration based on the East Asian crisis countries, we find optimal capital controls and macroprudential regulation in the magnitude of 2 percent. In advanced countries where the risk of sharp exchange rate depreciations is more limited, the role for capital controls subsides. However, macroprudential regulation remains essential to mitigate booms and busts in asset prices.
Keywords:
WP; exchange rate; Financial stability; pecuniary externalities; capital controls; macroprudential regulation; inequality; exchange rate depreciation; covariance term; wedge terms; marginal utility; asset price externality; exchange rate fluctuation; exchange rate effect; simplifying terms; resource constraint; asset purchase; price change; Exchange rates; Real exchange rates; Asset prices; Consumption; East Asia
Cover Policy Papers
Crisis Program Review
International Monetary Fund
This paper provides an updated review of Fund-supported programs undertaken during the global financial crisis. It follows a series of previous reviews during 2009–12 that assessed program design and outcomes during the surge in Fund supported programs since 2008. The review covers experience during 2008–15 for 32 arrangements financed from the Fund's general resources account (GRA). It covers 27 countries for which arrangements were approved during September 2008–June 2013, with two years or more of program performance.
Keywords:
PP; fund; exchange rate; debt; financing; current account; Euro Area program; financial support; IMF staff; crisis program case; monetary policy; Fund-supported program; program document; program policy; nominal exchange rate; program fiscal consolidation; program objective; Financial statements; Fiscal consolidation; Debt restructuring; Exchange rates; Global; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Iceland: Fourth Post-Program Monitoring Discussions
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper discusses Iceland’s Fourth Post-Program Monitoring Discussions. Iceland’s economy has grown strongly on the back of booming tourism. Real GDP grew 3.3 percent in 2013, despite a drop in investment spending. Net exports were the primary driver. High frequency indicators suggest strong net exports—including steady growth in off-season tourism—have continued in Q1 2014, along with rising private consumption. Inflation has fallen below the Central Bank of Iceland’s 2.5 percent target but long-term inflation expectations remain noticeably above this level. The government’s medium-term fiscal objectives deserve support, but further effort is needed to achieve them.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; foreign currency purchase; staff appraisal; pace of inventory accumulation; MPC; central bank; inflation expectation; BoP prospect; Capital controls; Debt relief; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Role of Risk and Information for International Capital Flows: New Evidence from the SDDS
Ms. Yuko Hashimoto
and
Mr. Konstantin Wacker
In this paper we investigate whether better information about the macroeconomic environment of an economy has a positive impact on its capital inflows, namely portfolio and foreign direct investment (FDI). The purpose of our study is to explicitly quantify information asymmetries by compliance with the IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). For FDI, we find statistically significant and robust support for this hypothesis: SDDS subscription increased inflows by an economically relevant magnitude of about 60 percent. We also find evidence of aversion against political and macroeconomic risk as determinants of portfolio and FDI flows anduse a non-parametric test for spatial correlation in the residual of capital flows.
Keywords:
WP; FDI inflow; interest rate; emerging market; FDI flow; determinants of capital flows; information; panel data; risk; SDDS; IMF; FDI; portfolio investment; spatial econometrics; FDI-agglomeration literature; FDI literature; SDDS subscription; portfolio flow; Foreign direct investment; Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS); Capital flows; Exchange rates; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Liberalizing Capital Flows and Managing Outflows - Background Paper
International Monetary Fund
Liberalization of capital flows can benefit both source and recipient countries by improving resource allocation, reducing financing costs, increasing competition and accelerating the development of domestic financial systems. The empirical evidence, however, is mixed on the benefits, and it suggests that countries benefit most when they meet certain thresholds related to institutional and financial development. The principal cost of capital flow liberalization stems from the economic instability brought on by volatile capital flows. In extreme cases, sudden stops or reversals in capital inflows can trigger financial crises followed by prolonged periods of weak growth.
Keywords:
PP; capital flow; capital control; outflow control; net capital; central bank; monetary policy; foreign currency; private sector; Capital flows; Capital controls; Capital inflows; Capital account liberalization; Global
Cover Policy Papers
2011 Triennial Surveillance Review - Staff Background Studies
International Monetary Fund
This paper evaluates the IMF’s exchange rate analysis since the 2008 TSR. It focuses on the evolution of methods, the quality of the IMF‘s multilateral and bilateral exchange rate analysis, the evenhandedness and transparency of this analysis, and the need to improve the coverage and integration of external stability assessments.
Keywords:
PP; exchange rate; country; Asian LICs; CGER; CGER method; VE-LIC spillover; exchange rate assessment; VE-LIC exercise; VE-LIC framework; country authorities; surveillance work; LIC surveillance; Financial sector; Exchange rate assessments; Exchange rates; Exchange rate analysis; Fiscal consolidation; Global; Europe; Middle East and Central Asia; Western Europe; Baltics