Recommended Articles

Studies:

• Benefits of GDP-indexed bonds for issuing countries, investors and international financial stability: Interest in nominal GDP-indexed bonds has grown in the context of the debate on how to prevent future sovereign debt crises. This column uses simulations up to 2040 to identify which countries would benefit from using such bonds instead of conventional debt. By issuing GDP-indexed bonds, these countries would protect their debt ratios against deflation and recession, and investors could benefit from the catching-up of emerging economies, could partially hedge their currency risk, and could diversify their portfolio compared to equity. The contribution of GDP-indexed bonds to international financial stability would justify international coordination to promote their use.
• Portfolio Investment Response to U.S. Monetary Policy Announcements: An Event Study Analysis Using High Frequency Data from Mexico: We study how unconventional monetary policy announcements affect the entry of foreign investment in debt and equity in Mexico, placing special focus on announcements related to the third QE program and the taper tantrum episode. A novel dataset on daily debt and equity flows, that maps Balance of Payments data quite well, allows this paper to provide a better insight into movements of capital. The results suggest that both equity and debt flows appear to react immediately to unexpected U.S. monetary policy announcements, in particular if these are considered as bad news by investors. In turn, results using weekly data support the idea that investors interested in fixed income instruments move more prudently than those interested in equity who react quickly.
• Designing mega-regional trade agreements: The emergence of mega-regional trade agreements is likely to complicate the trading environment as the ‘noodle bowl’ of overlapping trade agreements gets bigger. This column argues that when multiple preferential tariff schemes are available, exporters' choice of scheme depends on the coverage of products, the extent of tariff reduction, and the ease of complying with rules of origin. These dimensions should all be taken into account when designing mega-regional trade agreements to encourage their utilisation.

Articles:

• These Are the 50 Most Promising Startups You’ve Never Heard Of (Bloomberg).
• What is an economy? It seems a basic question with a not-obviously important answer, but in fact, answering it is critical and completely changes our perspective on how economic systems work (Medium).
• How to Calculate the True Value of the Dollar: Differing approaches all conclude the dollar is overvalued (Bloomberg).