Transparency and International Investor Behavior

Does country transparency affect international portfolio investment? We examine this and related questions using some new measures of transparency and a unique micro dataset on international portfolio holdings. We distinguish between government and corporate transparency. There is clear evidence that international funds invest systematically less in less transparent countries. On the other hand, herding among funds tends to be more prevalent in less transparent countries. There is also some evidence that during crises, funds flee non-transparent countries by a greater amount.

A Panic-Prone Pack? The Behavior of Emerging Market Mutual Funds

This article explores the behavior of emerging market mutual funds using a novel database covering the holdings of individual funds over the period January 1996 to December 2000. The degree of herding among funds is statistically significant, but moderate. Herding is more widespread among open-ended funds than among closed-end funds, but not more prevalent during crises than during tranquil times. We find some evidence that funds tend to follow momentum strategies, selling past losers and buying past winners. Copyright 2003, International Monetary Fund

Sovereign Wealth Funds - new players on global financial markets

The objective of this paper is analysis of Sovereign Wealth Funds, which are becoming increasingly important players in the international monetary and financial system. Those funds are attracting growing attention not only due to last investment activities in brand-name global firms, but also due to lack of transparency and information about themselves. The article consists of two part. In the first part of the paper based on the latest literature the author presents definitions of Sovereign Wealth Funds and main factors responsible for the rise and growth of those funds. The second part of the paper deals with investment characteristics made by the largest of them. The main conclusion of this paper is that empirical analysis do not prove the thesis that investment made by SWF's has a political background. The latest available data suggest that those funds avoid investing in sensitive sectors like defense, aerospace, high technology and transportation

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Threat or Salvation?

This study examines the role of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the global economy and financial system. Sovereign wealth funds are not a new phenomenon in international finance. Governments of a few countries have used similar entities to manage their international financial assets for several decades. Moreover, countries have always held international reserves, and government-owned entities have made cross-border investments for many years. Sovereign wealth funds or their equivalent pose profound issues for the countries that own them with respect to macroeconomic policy and the potential for corruption. They also raise issues for countries that receive SWF investments as well as for the international financial system as a whole because government ownership introduces potential political and economic power issues into the management of these cross-border assets. This study traces the origins of SWFs. It describes the issues raised by these large governmental holdings of cross-border assets for the countries that own them, for the host countries, and for the international financial system. The study lays out what is known about the 50-plus SWFs of various countries. Some countries have more than one such entity, and a sample of government-managed pension funds is included in this analysis because they raise most of the same basic policy issues. Using publicly available information that is provided on a systematic basis, the author has previously developed a "scoreboard" for these funds involving a number of elements grouped in four categories: structure, governance, transparency and accountability, and behavioral rules. The 2008 edition contributed to the development of a set of generally accepted principles and practices, the Santiago Principles, for SWFs by the International Working Group operating under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund. This publication presents an updated scoreboard for an expanded list of funds, evaluates the Santiago Principles, and examines current compliance with those principles. The study also examines the policies of recipient countries and the role of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) investment codes. Finally, the study discusses the evolving role of SWFs in the context of the global economic and financial crisis and its aftermath and will make recommendations for the policies of countries both managing such funds and those that expect to receive investments from them in the future.

The Activities of a Japanese Bank in the Interwar Financial Centers: A Case of the Yokohama Specie Bank

This paper aims to analyze the role of a branch of a Japanese bank in the internationals financial centers and its change during the Interwar period. Branches of international exchange banks generally buy bills for goods exported from where they exist, to collect bills for goods imported to where they exist, and to transfer funds with other branches. In addition to these ?ordinary? businesses branches in the international financial centers raise funds by selling bills there or by borrowing money from other banks, to makes investments for securing reserves, and to advise letters of credit issued by large banks there. This paper sheds light on these activities of the Yokohama Specie Bank, which was the largest international exchange bank in Japan before the Second World War and shows that branches in London and New York facilitated the flow of funds within the bank. The Interwar period saw significant change in international money flow as New York grew to an international financial center, which was as important as London and also saw the Great Depression and international conflicts after that. This paper analyzes how businesses of the two branches changed in order to cope with turbulence in the financial markets.

"The Activities of a Japanese Bank in the Interwar Financial Centers: A Case of the Yokohama Specie Bank"

This paper aims to analyze the role of a branch of a Japanese bank in the internationals financial centers and its change during the Interwar period. Branches of international exchange banks generally buy bills for goods exported from where they exist, to collect bills for goods imported to where they exist, and to transfer funds with other branches. In addition to these "ordinary" businesses branches in the international financial centers raise funds by selling bills there or by borrowing money from other banks, to makes investments for securing reserves, and to advise letters of credit issued by large banks there. This paper sheds light on these activities of the Yokohama Specie Bank, which was the largest international exchange bank in Japan before the Second World War and shows that branches in London and New York facilitated the flow of funds within the bank. The Interwar period saw significant change in international money flow as New York grew to an international financial center, which was as important as London and also saw the Great Depression and international conflicts after that. This paper analyzes how businesses of the two branches changed in order to cope with turbulence in the financial markets.

Sovereign Wealth Funds: The Need for Greater Transparency and Accountability

Management of official holdings of foreign assets, in particular in sovereign wealth funds, has become a major focus of national and international economic and financial policy. The principal reasons are their size, lack of transparency, potential to disrupt financial markets, and the risk that political objectives might influence their management. Moreover, such large cross-border holdings in official hands are at sharp variance with today's market-based global economy and financial system. These investment activities of governments have become sufficiently significant that an internationally agreed standard should be established to guide these activities. The standard should apply to the gamut of international investments of governments, including traditional foreign exchange reserves, stabilization funds, nonrenewable resource funds, sovereign wealth funds, and government-owned or controlled entities such as pension funds. The standard should ensure that international investments of governments are based on clearly stated policy objectives and investment strategies. It should set out the role of the government and the managers of the investment mechanism/entity and ensure that the operations of the investment mechanisms are as transparent as possible. Depending on the type of mechanism, its size, and the scope of its activities, behavioral guidelines with respect to its management should be established. Such a standard would contribute not only to financial stability in the countries directly involved but also to international financial stability by increasing the transparency, accountability, and predictability of the operations of governments in managing their international investments and discharging their obligations to current and future generations.

Currency undervaluation and sovereign wealth funds : a new role for the World Trade Organization

Two aspects of global imbalances - undervalued exchange rates and sovereign wealth funds - require a multilateral response. For reasons of inadequate leverage and eroding legitimacy, the International Monetary Fund has not been effective in dealing with undervalued exchange rates. This paper proposes new rules in the World Trade Organization to discipline cases of significant undervaluation that are clearly attributable to government action. The rationale for WTO involvement is that there are large trade consequences of undervalued exchange rates, which act as both import tariffs and export subsidies, and that the WTO's enforcement mechanism is credible and effective. The World Trade Organization would not be involved in exchange rate management, and would not displace the International Monetary Fund. Rather, the authors suggest ways to harness the comparative advantage of the two institutions, with the International Monetary Fund providing the essential technical expertise in the World Trade Organization's enforcement process. There is a bargain to be struck between countries with sovereign wealth funds, which want secure and liberal access for their capital, and capital-importing countries, which have concerns about the objectives and operations of sovereign wealth funds. The World Trade Organization is the natural place to strike this bargain. Its General Agreement on Trade in Services, already covers investments by sovereign wealth funds, and other agreements offer a precedent for designing disciplines for these funds. Placing exchange rates and sovereign wealth funds on the trade negotiating agenda may help revive the Doha Round by rekindling the interest of a wide variety of groups.Emerging Markets,Debt Markets,Economic Theory&Research,Trade Law,Currencies and Exchange Rates

Pension fund sophistication and investment policy

This paper assesses the sophistication of pension funds' investment policies using data on 748 Dutch pension funds during the 1999.2006 period. We develop three indicators of sophistication: gross rounding of investment choices, investments in alternative sophisticated asset classes and 'home bias'. We find that pension funds' strategic portfolio choices are often based on coarse and possibly less sophisticated approaches. Most pension funds, particularly the medium-sized and smaller ones, round strategic asset allocations to the nearest multiple of 5%, similar to age heaping in demographic and historical studies. Second, many pension funds invest little or nothing in alternative asset classes besides equities and bonds, resulting in limited asset diversification. Third, medium-sized and smaller pension funds favor regional investments and as such not fully employ the opportunities of international diversification. Finally, we show that pension funds using less sophisticated asset allocation rules tend to opt for investment strategies with a lower risk-return profile.Pension funds, investment policy, portfolio choice, gross rounding, heaping, diversification, home bias, alternative investments, behavioral finance.

Is the financial safety net a barrier to cross-border banking ?

A bank's interest expenses rise with its degree of internationalization, measured by its share of foreign liabilities in total liabilities or a Herfindahl index of international liability concentration, especially if the bank is performing badly. The results in this paper suggest that an international bank's cost of funds raised through a foreign subsidiary is 1.5-2.4 percent higher than the cost of funds for a purely domestic bank. That is a sizeable difference, given that the overall mean cost of funds is 3.3 percent. These results can be explained by limited incentives for national authorities to bail out an international bank, as well as an inefficient recovery and resolution process for international banks. In any event, a less reliable financial safety net appears to be a barrier to cross-border banking.Banks&Banking Reform,Debt Markets,Access to Finance,Emerging Markets,Economic Theory&Research