Incorporating Macro-Financial Linkages into Forecasts Using Financial Conditions Indices: The Case of France
Incorporating Macro-Financial Linkages into Forecasts Using Financial Conditions Indices: The Case of France

Author: Ms.Piyabha Kongsamut

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2017-12-02

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 1484331753

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How can information on financial conditions be used to better understand macroeconomic developments and improve macroeconomic projections? We investigate this question for France by constructing country-specific financial conditions indices (FCIs) that are tailored to movements in GDP, investment, private consumption and exports respectively. We rely on a VAR approach to estimate the weights of the financial components of each FCI, including equity market returns (which turn out having a relatively strong weight across all FCIs), private sector risk premiums, long-term interest rates, and banks’ credit standards. We find that the tailored FCIs are useful as leading indicators of GDP, investment, and exports, and as a contemporaneous indicator of private consumption. Credit volumes turn out to be lagging indicators of growth. The indices inform us on macro-financial linkages in France and are used to improve the accuracy of quarterly forecasting models and high-frequency “nowcast” models. We show that FCI-augmented models could have significantly improved forecasts during and after the global financial crisis.

France
France

Author: International Monetary Fund. European Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2017-09-21

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 1484320476

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This 2017 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic recovery is picking up in France, with real GDP growth projected to reach 1.6 percent in 2017 and 1.8 percent in 2018. Growth is primarily driven by buoyant corporate investment, a rebound in residential construction, and solid consumer demand. Net exports, by contrast, have been a drag on growth, and France’s external position is assessed to be weaker than implied by economic fundamentals. Private sector job creation has begun to accelerate moderately and the unemployment rate has begun to recede moderately from its 10 percent post-crisis mark. Medium-term prospects will critically depend on the implementation of the reform agenda.

Mauritius
Mauritius

Author: International Monetary Fund. African Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2019-04-29

Total Pages: 41

ISBN-13: 1498311997

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This Selected Issues paper develops a Financial Conditions Index (FCI) for Mauritius—an instrument to gauge the operational state of the financial sector and predict real economy activity. The evolution of Mauritius’ financial services sector has been supported by a vibrant offshore corporate sector. Given the strong macro-financial linkages, it is imperative to closely monitor domestic financial developments. Financial developments are broader than monetary developments depicting money supply and interest rates. The FCI is a robust predictor of real GDP growth in Mauritius. The FCI can also help inform macroprudential policy decisions. Decisions on setting the countercyclical capital buffer of Basel III could be informed by analyzing developments in the FCI. As historically Mauritius has not experienced drastic swings in financial credit, testing the constructed FCIs for predicting boom-bust episodes is difficult. Nevertheless, the FCI signaled lax financial conditions in 2009 and again in 2012 that likely contributed to accelerated credit growth in 2012–2013 and a subsequent acceleration in nonperforming loans during 2014–2016.

Seychelles
Seychelles

Author: International Monetary Fund. African Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2019-07-02

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 1498323499

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Selected Issues

Growth at Risk: Concept and Application in IMF Country Surveillance
Growth at Risk: Concept and Application in IMF Country Surveillance

Author: Mr.Ananthakrishnan Prasad

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2019-02-21

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13: 1484397010

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The growth-at-risk (GaR) framework links current macrofinancial conditions to the distribution of future growth. Its main strength is its ability to assess the entire distribution of future GDP growth (in contrast to point forecasts), quantify macrofinancial risks in terms of growth, and monitor the evolution of risks to economic activity over time. By using GaR analysis, policymakers can quantify the likelihood of risk scenarios, which would serve as a basis for preemptive action. This paper offers practical guidance on how to conduct GaR analysis and draws lessons from country case studies. It also discusses an Excel-based GaR tool developed to support the IMF’s bilateral surveillance efforts.

Macro-Financial Linkages in Shallow Markets
Macro-Financial Linkages in Shallow Markets

Author: International Monetary Fund. African Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2018-07-23

Total Pages: 53

ISBN-13: 1484361490

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This paper assesses and disseminates experiences and lessons from low-income countries (LICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa that were selected by the Africa Department in 2015-16 as pilots for enhanced analysis of macro-financial linkages in Article IV staff reports. The paper focuses on the common characteristics across the pilot countries and highlights the tools used in the analysis, the challenges encountered, and the solutions deployed in overcoming them.

Global Financial Stability Report, April 2012
Global Financial Stability Report, April 2012

Author: International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2012-04-18

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 1616352477

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The April 2012 Global Financial Stability Report assesses changes in risks to financial stability over the past six months, focusing on sovereign vulnerabilities, risks stemming from private sector deleveraging, and assessing the continued resilience of emerging markets. The report probes the implications of recent reforms in the financial system for market perception of safe assets, and investigates the growing public and private costs of increased longevity risk from aging populations.

A Small Quarterly Multi-country Projection Model with Financial-real Linkages and Oil Prices
A Small Quarterly Multi-country Projection Model with Financial-real Linkages and Oil Prices

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13:

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This is the third of a series of papers that are being written as part of a larger project to estimate a small quarterly Global Projection Model (GPM). The GPM project is designed to improve the toolkit for studying both own-country and cross-country linkages. In this paper, we estimate a small quarterly projection model of the US, Euro Area, and Japanese economies that incorporates oil prices and allows us to trace out the effects of shocks to oil prices. The model is estimated with Bayesian techniques. We show how the model can be used to construct efficient baseline forecasts that incorporate judgment imposed on the near-term outlook.

Stress Testing at the IMF
Stress Testing at the IMF

Author: Mr.Tobias Adrian

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2020-02-05

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 1513520741

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This paper explains specifics of stress testing at the IMF. After a brief section on the evolution of stress tests at the IMF, the paper presents the key steps of an IMF staff stress test. They are followed by a discussion on how IMF staff uses stress tests results for policy advice. The paper concludes by identifying remaining challenges to make stress tests more useful for the monitoring of financial stability and an overview of IMF staff work program in that direction. Stress tests help assess the resilience of financial systems in IMF member countries and underpin policy advice to preserve or restore financial stability. This assessment and advice are mainly provided through the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). IMF staff also provide technical assistance in stress testing to many its member countries. An IMF macroprudential stress test is a methodology to assess financial vulnerabilities that can trigger systemic risk and the need of systemwide mitigating measures. The definition of systemic risk as used by the IMF is relevant to understanding the role of its stress tests as tools for financial surveillance and the IMF’s current work program. IMF stress tests primarily apply to depository intermediaries, and, systemically important banks.