Search Results
COVID-19 and CRA: Fed Issues Guidance on Helping Communities Through the Crisis
To help support economic resiliency, we are providing Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) consideration for banking and lending activities in response to COVID-19.
Speech
Financial Stability Framework; Panel Remarks for the International Banking, Economics, and Finance Association and American Economic Association Session, \"Integrating Financial Stability with Monetary Policy\", Allied Social Science Associations Annual Meeting, 01-06-2018; Philadelphia, PA
I will discuss four topics: the relationship between financial stability and monetary policy, the Federal Reserve?s current framework for assessing and monitoring financial stability risks, an exercise aimed to assess possible policy responses to such risk, and some of the governance issues we face in addressing these risks.
Discussion Paper
Tax Reform's Impact on Bank and Corporate Cyclicality
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is expected to increase after-tax profits for most companies, primarily by lowering the top corporate statutory tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. At the same time, the TCJA provides less favorable treatment of net operating losses and limits the deductibility of net interest expense. We explain how the latter set of changes may heighten bank and corporate borrower cyclicality by making bank capital and default risk for highly levered corporations more sensitive to economic downturns.
Working Paper
Does Financial Stress Affect Commodity Futures Traders’ Positions?
Financial stress can impact trading behavior in the U.S. commodity futures markets. To clarify the impact, we study absolute changes and relative exposure dynamics in traders' positions during two recent crises: the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of these two crises are very distinct, and we find that traders behaved quite differently. The commodity market collapse during the 2008 GFC followed the classic pattern of a speculative bubble; speculators, including financial institutions and money managers, rushed to close their long positions in commodity ...
Working Paper
Does Financial Stress Affect Commodity Futures Traders’ Positions?
Financial stress can impact trading behavior in the U.S. commodity futures markets. To clarify the impact, we study absolute changes and relative exposure dynamics in traders' positions during two recent crises: the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of these two crises are very distinct, and we find that traders behaved quite differently. The commodity market collapse during the 2008 GFC followed the classic pattern of a speculative bubble; speculators, including financial institutions and money managers, rushed to close their long positions in commodity ...
Lowest-Income Workers See Accelerated Earnings Growth During Pandemic
In many respects, the pandemic has disproportionately harmed low-income workers. Earnings growth, triggered by labor shortages and high turnover rates, could be a rare exception.
Working Paper
Financial Stability Considerations for Monetary Policy: Empirical Evidence and Challenges
This paper reviews literature on the empirical relationship between vulnerabilities in the financial system and the macroeconomy, and how monetary policy affects that connection. Financial vulnerabilities build up over time, with both risk appetite and risk taking rising during economic expansions. To some extent, financial crises are predictable and have severe real economic consequences when they occur. Empirically it is difficult to link monetary policy to financial vulnerabilities, in part because financial cycles have long durations, making it difficult to separate effects of changes in ...
Communities, Service Providers in Region See Long Road to COVID-19 Recovery, Fed Survey Shows
Nearly all respondents reported "significant" disruption to economic conditions in their communities, and over two-thirds anticipate a "difficult" economic recovery.
Hard-Hit Child Care Industry May Need Multisector Response to Revive and Thrive
Millions of U.S. workers have lost their jobs during the pandemic. When they are ready to return to work, their child care options may be few.
Working Paper
Black Swans and Financial Stability: A Framework for Building Resilience
This article refines the concept of black swans, typically described as highly unlikely and catastrophic events, by clearly distinguishing between knowable and unknowable events. By emphasizing that black swans are “unknown unknowns,” the article highlights that the realization of new black swans cannot be prevented and motivates a need for policies that build the financial system's resilience to unforeseeable crises. The article introduces a "resilience principle" that calls for policies that are adaptable, universal, and systemic. Examples are provided of policies with these features, ...