Search Results
Working Paper
Globalization of financial institutions: evidence from cross-border banking performance
We address the causes, consequences, and implications of the cross-border consolidation of financial institutions by reviewing several hundred studies, providing comparative international data, and estimating cross-border banking efficiency in France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. during the 1990s. We find that, on average, domestic banks have higher profit efficiency than foreign banks. However, banks from at least one country (the U.S.) appear to operate with relatively high efficiency both at home and abroad. If these results continue to hold, they do not preclude successful ...
Journal Article
Labor market fluctuations in Japan and the U.S.--how similar are they?
This article examines the sources of fluctuations in Japanese and U.S. labor markets. Despite the differences in the structures of the two labor markets, the authors find that unemployment and vacancies respond similarly to aggregate shocks. However, different shocks appear to be important in explaining fluctuations in the two labor markets.
Journal Article
Assessing the condition of Japanese banks: how informative are accounting earnings?
This article examines the accounting and stock market performance of banks from 1991 to 1997. Overall, the results indicate that the accounting, disclosure, and regulatory practices of Japanese banks have drive a wedge between their accounting and stock market returns in recent years and, furthermore, that regulatory forbearance might have become a more important source of value to shareholders than the value of assets in place.
Journal Article
How are small firms financed? Evidence from small business investment companies
This article examines the investment decisions of small business investment companies (SBICs). The results indicate that potential costs of contracting among SBICs, small firms, and others may have significant effects on how small firms are funded. For instance, projects generating tangible assets and firms operating in industries with few growth opportunities are more likely to be financed with debt than nondebt.
Newsletter
What Is the Impact of a Low Interest Rate Environment on Bank Profitability?
The economic conditions and low interest rate environment of recent years have been challenging for banks that rely on a wide spread between long- and short-maturity yields to generate earnings. The authors? analysis indicates that a low interest rate environment is associated with decreased profitability for banks, particularly for small institutions. However, the estimated negative effects on bank profits are economically small and are outweighed by the likely positive effects on profits of low interest rates boosting economic activity.
Journal Article
Funding small businesses through the SBIC program
Newsletter
Rising interest rates, bank loans, and deposits
The authors show how the relationships between interest rate changes, deposit growth rates, and loan growth rates have changed in the last ten years, discuss some possible reasons, and assess the likely impact of rising interest rates on loans and deposits going forward.
Journal Article
Japan's corporate groups
