Global Imbalances and External Adjustment after the Crisis
Global Imbalances and External Adjustment after the Crisis

Author: Mr.Philip R. Lane

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-08-12

Total Pages: 45

ISBN-13: 149836361X

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This paper has two objectives. First, it reviews the recent dynamics of global imbalances (both “flow” and “stock” imbalances), with a special focus on the shifting position of Latin America in the global distribution. Second, it examines the cross-country variation in external adjustment over 2008-2012. In particular, it shows how pre-crisis external imbalances have strong predictive power for post-crisis macroeconomic outcomes, allowing for variation across different exchange rate regimes. We emphasize that the bulk of external adjustment has taken the form of “expenditure reduction”, with “expenditure switching” only playing a limited role.

External Adjustment and the Global Crisis
External Adjustment and the Global Crisis

Author: Mr.Gian Milesi-Ferretti

Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Published: 2011-08-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781462304240

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After widening substantially in the period preceding the global financial crisis, current account imbalances across the world have contracted to a significant extent. This paper analyzes the factors underlying this process of external adjustment. It finds that countries whose pre-crisis current account balances were in excess of what could be explained by economic fundamentals have experienced the largest contractions in their external balance. External adjustment in deficit countries was achieved primarily through demand compression, rather than expenditure switching. Changes in other investment flows were the main channel of financial account adjustment, with official external assistance and ECB liquidity cushioning the exit of private capital flows for some countries.

External Adjustment
External Adjustment

Author: Maurice Obstfeld

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13:

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"Gross stocks of foreign assets have increased rapidly relative to national outputs since 1990, and the short-run capital gains and losses on those assets can amount to significant fractions of GDP. These fluctuations in asset values render the national income and product account measure of the current account balance increasingly inadequate as a summary of the change in a country's net foreign assets. Nonetheless, unusually large current account imbalances, especially deficits, should remain high on policymakers' list of concerns, even for the richer and less credit-constrained countries. Extreme imbalances signal the need for large and perhaps abrupt real exchange rate changes in the future, changes that might have undesired political and financial consequences given the incompleteness of domestic and international asset markets. Furthermore, of the two sources of the change in net foreign assets -- the current account and the capital gain on the net foreign asset position -- the former is better understood and more amenable to policy influence. Systematic government attempts to manipulate international asset values in order to change the net foreign asset position could have a destabilizing effect on market expectations"--NBER website

Global Imbalances and the Financial Crisis
Global Imbalances and the Financial Crisis

Author: Steven Vincent Dunaway

Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 0876094280

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Crafting stimulus packages and financial bailouts to address immediate problems has for many reasons been a priority for policymakers. In this Council Special Report, however, Steven Dunaway argues that policymakers must go beyond these steps and tackle one of the root causes of today's crisis: imbalances between savings and investment in major countries. The report analyzes the nature of these imbalances, which occur when some countries, such as the United States, run large current account (essentially trade) deficits while others, such as China, maintain large surpluses. Dunaway identifies three features of the international financial system that have allowed the imbalances to persist, features that involve both floating and managed exchange rates as well as the issuance of reserve assets. In particular, he notes that the United States' status as an issuer of such assets has enabled it to finance a current account deficit. The report then prescribes a variety of steps to address global imbalances. Beyond stimulus packages around the world, it urges measures to raise savings (principally government savings) in the United States, reform labor and product markets in Europe and Japan to increase competition and flexibility, and boost domestic consumption in China. Finally, the report advocates improving International Monetary Fund (IMF) surveillance of member states' economic policies by reducing the role of the Fund's executive board and depoliticizing the selection of its senior management.

Global Imbalances and External Adjustment after the Crisis
Global Imbalances and External Adjustment after the Crisis

Author: Mr.Philip R. Lane

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-08-12

Total Pages: 45

ISBN-13: 1498339212

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This paper has two objectives. First, it reviews the recent dynamics of global imbalances (both “flow” and “stock” imbalances), with a special focus on the shifting position of Latin America in the global distribution. Second, it examines the cross-country variation in external adjustment over 2008-2012. In particular, it shows how pre-crisis external imbalances have strong predictive power for post-crisis macroeconomic outcomes, allowing for variation across different exchange rate regimes. We emphasize that the bulk of external adjustment has taken the form of “expenditure reduction”, with “expenditure switching” only playing a limited role.

Europe and Global Imbalances
Europe and Global Imbalances

Author: Philip R. Lane

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2007-06

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13:

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Although Europe in the aggregate is a not a major contributor to global current account imbalances, its trade and financial linkages with the rest of the world mean that it will still be affected by a shift in the current configuration of external deficits and surpluses. We assess the macroeconomic impact on Europe of global current account adjustment under alternative scenarios, emphasizing both trade and financial channels. Finally, we consider heterogeneous exposure across individual European economies to external adjustment shocks.

Causes and Consequences of Economic Imbalances: Comparison of US-Asia and Europe
Causes and Consequences of Economic Imbalances: Comparison of US-Asia and Europe

Author: Ariane Hillig

Publisher: diplom.de

Published: 2014-03-10

Total Pages: 87

ISBN-13: 3842838360

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Introduction: Problem and Objective: ‘The economic health of every country is a proper matter of concern to all its neighbors, near and far.’ Franklin D. Roosevelt. This quotation reflects the importance of economic imbalances for the global economic environment. As seen in the past, huge economic imbalances of emerging countries have resulted in a number of crises such as the Mexican tequila crisis, Asian crisis or the Argentine crisis. In the past ten years, major economic imbalances have been concentrating among a small number of countries. The main deficit countries such as USA and Spain have been mirrored by current account surplus countries in Asia, Middle East as well as in Europe. Already in 2004, the persistency and growing size of the global imbalances have led to the speculation about a disorderly unwinding in the future. In 2007, the global financial crisis started in USA and rapidly spread across major economies due to the high financial integration. Out of the financial crisis, the current eurozone crisis developed which is posing a major threat to the global economy. ‘Global imbalances can be defined as widening external positions of systemically important economies that reflect distortions or entail risks for the global economy.’ External positions are shown in the current accounts which show huge deficits or surpluses caused by distortions or/and pose a risk for the global economy. Distortions can arise due to policy decisions taken by the public or private sector. The current account development of a single European country does not fit the definition, but a country’s possible contagion effect in case of a crisis and the overall European development is systemically important and poses a significant risk to the global economy. Hence, in the author’s point-of-view the current account development from US-Asia as well as the intra-euro economic imbalances can be considered as global imbalances. [...]

Financial Crises Explanations, Types, and Implications
Financial Crises Explanations, Types, and Implications

Author: Mr.Stijn Claessens

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2013-01-30

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13: 1475561008

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This paper reviews the literature on financial crises focusing on three specific aspects. First, what are the main factors explaining financial crises? Since many theories on the sources of financial crises highlight the importance of sharp fluctuations in asset and credit markets, the paper briefly reviews theoretical and empirical studies on developments in these markets around financial crises. Second, what are the major types of financial crises? The paper focuses on the main theoretical and empirical explanations of four types of financial crises—currency crises, sudden stops, debt crises, and banking crises—and presents a survey of the literature that attempts to identify these episodes. Third, what are the real and financial sector implications of crises? The paper briefly reviews the short- and medium-run implications of crises for the real economy and financial sector. It concludes with a summary of the main lessons from the literature and future research directions.