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Europe > Latvia, Republic of

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 11 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Public Administration; Public Sector Accounting and Audits x
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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Euro Area Policies: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper highlights quantitative tightening (QT) by the European Central Bank (ECB). It uses evidence from the literature on the impact of central bank bond purchases and sales on bond yields, and the monetary policy stance, to outline a roadmap for reducing the Euro system’s bond holdings. The current tightening cycle provides an opportunity to revisit the ECB’s balance sheet policy. With inflation running above target, the monetary accommodation provided by the ECB’s bond holding is no longer necessary. The current tightening cycle provides an opportunity to revisit the ECB’s balance sheet policy. With inflation running above target, the monetary accommodation provided by the ECB’s bond holding is no longer necessary. The paper concludes that the ECB’s short term policy rates should be the main choice for adapting the monetary policy stance to changing circumstances and QT should proceed in a gradual, predictable manner as outlined by the ECB.
Keywords:
ECB Policy rate; ECB balance sheet; app portfolio; C. Policy consideration; bond supply net of ECB; Financial statements; Unconventional monetary policies; Central bank policy rate; Monetary stance; Securities
Cover IMF Working Papers
Banks’ Adjustment to Basel III Reform: A Bank-Level Perspective for Emerging Europe
Michal Andrle
,
Vladimír Tomšík
, and
Mr. Jan Vlcek
The paper seeks to identify strategies of commercial banks in response to higher capital requirements of Basel III reform and its phase-in. It focuses on a sample of nine EU emerging market countries and picks up 5 largest banks in each country assessing their response. The paper finds that all banking sectors raised CAR ratios mainly through retained earnings. In countries where the banking sector struggled with profitability, banks have resorted to issuance of new equity or shrunk the size of their balance sheets to meet the higher capital-adequacy requirements. Worries echoed at the early stage of Basel III compilation, namely that commercial banks would shrink their balance sheet by reducing their lending to meet stricter capital requirements, did materialize only in banks struggling with profitability.
Keywords:
WP; bank; net income; balance sheet; asset; capital adequacy; Basel III; banking sector assets; cost of capital; capital adequacy ratio dynamics; increase in capital capital ratio; balance sheet growth; CAR decomposition; Income; Capital adequacy requirements; Commercial banks; Financial statements; Stocks; Europe; Baltics; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Balance Sheet Analysis in Fund Surveillance
International Monetary Fund
Balance sheets convey vital information about economic prospects and risks. Balance sheet analysis captures the role that financial frictions and mismatches play in creating fragility and amplifying shocks. This is key to understanding the macroeconomic outlook, identifying vulnerabilities, and tracing the transmission of potential shocks and policies. This paper reviews the use of balance sheet analysis in the Fund’s bilateral surveillance and introduces some practical examples of how it can be deepened. Recent evaluations of IMF surveillance––including the 2014 TSR––have emphasized the importance of strengthening balance sheet analysis and coverage of macro-financial issues. This paper is a first step that highlights useful examples of such analysis conducted by staff over the last decade, documents the data and tools that have been used, and mentions some limitations. In addition, it discusses recent improvements in the coverage and quality of balance sheet data through initiatives launched in the wake of the global crisis, as well as key remaining gaps, addressing which requires international collaboration.
Keywords:
PP; economy; asset; balance sheet; market; balance-sheet analysis; private sector; BSA matrix; sovereign bond; banking system; central bank; exchange rate; foreign exchange; interest rate; economic activity; mutual fund; credit risk; Financial statements; Balance sheet analysis; Financial sector; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Foreign currency exposure; Global; balance sheet data; B. addressing data gap; balance sheet analysis in fund surveillance; IMF surveillance; Sta team; balance sheets; Currencies
Cover IMF Working Papers
Conventional and Insidious Macroeconomic Balance-Sheet Crises
Mr. Bas B. Bakker
and
Mr. Leslie Lipschitz
This paper describes the anatomy of two types of balance-sheet macroeconomic crises. Conventional balance-sheet crises are triggered by external imbalances and balance sheet vulnerabilities. They typically occur after capital inflows have led to a substantial build up of foreign currency exposure. Insidious crises are triggered by internal imbalances and balance sheet vulnerabilities. They occur in high-growth economies when an initially equilibrating shift in relative prices and resources and credit in favor of the nontraded sector overshoots equilibrium. The paper argues that policymakers are now better able to forestall conventional crises, but they are much less capable of early detection and avoidance of insidious crises.
Keywords:
WP; asset; price; current account; deficit; exchange rate; interest rate; crises; balance sheets; business cycles; capital flows; construction boom; emerging market economy; foreign exchange; FX assets; capital account; Capital inflows; Financial statements; Return on investment; Current account deficits; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Latvia: Fourth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Financing Assurances Review, Request for Rephasing of Purchases Under the Arrangement and Request for Waiver of Nonobservance of a Performance Criterion
International Monetary Fund
Strong policy implementation under the Stand By-Arrangement (SBA) has contributed to Latvia’s economic recovery and put attainment of Maastricht criteria for euro adoption within reach. The government has continued to achieve substantial fiscal savings and strengthened its active labor market policy. Executive Directors stressed the need to implement plans for reforming state-owned banks and to promote market-based debt restructuring. Directors advised to maintain strong budget implementation in 2011 and focus on reducing taxes in the 2012 budget. They encouraged to enhance efficiency of state-owned enterprises to keep inflation under control.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; request for waiver of nonobservance; request; request for Rephasing; waiver; state; IMF's support; request for Rephasing of purchase; authorities' strategy; Inflation; PFM legal and regulatory frameworks; Budget planning and preparation; Global; Baltics; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Assessing the Risk of Private Sector Debt Overhang in the Baltic Countries
Ms. Valerie Herzberg
Between 2000 and 2007 nonfinancial private sector credit expanded rapidly in the Baltic countries, resulting in a non-negligible build-up of debt. Could this legacy debt hold back the economic recovery of the region? This paper analyzes the setting in each of the three countries and, with the help of an experimental Debt Overhang Index (DOI), draws tentative conclusions for domestic demand.
Keywords:
WP; debt; Latvia; Estonia
Cover IMF Working Papers
Some Uncomfortable Arithmetic Regarding Europe’s Public Finances
Mrs. Delia Velculescu
Traditional fiscal indicators focused on measures of current deficits and debt miss the potentially important implications of current policies for future public finances. This could be problematic, including in the case of Europe, where population aging is expected to pose additional fiscal costs not captured by such indicators. To better gauge the state of public finances in the EU27 countries, this paper derives forward-looking fiscal measures of intertemporal net worth both directly from the European Commission’s Aging Working Group’s long-run indicators and using a comprehensive public-sector balance sheet approach. These measures could be used as an "early warning" mechanism and also as a communication device with the public. Current estimates indicate that, on existing policies, the intertemporal net worth of the EU27 is deeply negative, even in excess of its GDP level, and is projected to worsen further over time. This suggests that Europe’s current policies need to be significantly strengthened to bring future liabilities in line with the EU governments’ capacity to generate assets.
Keywords:
WP; country; GDP; deficit
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Estonia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This paper assesses Estonia’s flexibility from two angles. The paper focuses on one aspect of that performance—the ability to sustain competitiveness. Then, a more forward-looking angle is the flexibility of Estonia’s labor and product markets. Estonia has made great progress in achieving real convergence in the last decade. Current account deficits are integral to convergence. A key question raised by this analysis is whether the large external imbalances and the counterpart buildup in external obligations will be smoothly reversed.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; private sector; Estonia; nonbank; nonbank private sector; currency board arrangement; foreign currency; asset position; net foreign exchange liability position; macroeconomic stability; Currencies; Nonbank financial institutions; Financial statements; Exports; Foreign currency exposure; Baltics; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Georgia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper reviews the financial sector development in Georgia in recent years, and investigates why it has lagged behind economic development, as well as developments in more advanced transition economies. The paper briefly reviews recent financial sector development in Georgia, comparing it with developments in its neighboring countries in the Caucasus, the seven poorest countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS-7), the Baltics, and central and eastern Europe. The paper also analyzes possible factors constraining financial intermediation in Georgia and in some of the CIS countries more generally.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Georgia; government; shadow economy; LEPL; LEPL reform; comparing shadow economy; banking sector; SDS estimate; shadow economy development; reform strategy; Informal economy; Commercial banks; Fiscal risks; Corruption; Loans; Baltics; Global; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Latvia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper seeks to determine the macroeconomic effects of credit growth in Latvia. To do so, the paper relies on two approaches. First, a vector autoregressive system consisting of domestic credit, real activity, inflation, and the current account is used to determine responses to a positive shock to credit growth. It also calibrates the IMF’s Global Fiscal Model to simulate the macroeconomic effects of Latvia’s financial integration with the European Union and developing financial system. The paper also discusses the balance sheet approach to macroprudential vulnerabilities in Latvia.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Latvia; bank; NRDs; credit growth; foreign currency; maturity mismatch; NRD bank; credit expansion; liquidity mismatch; Domestic credit; Credit; Currencies; Current account deficits; Consumer credit; Baltics; Western Europe; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern Europe; Global