Reexaminando las relaciones de préstamo interbancario: ¿Están los fondos disponibles a un precio similar?

Según la hipótesis de disciplina de mercado, el monitoreo que realizan los bancos que otorgan créditos en el mercado interbancario puede inducir cambios en el precio o disponibilidad de nuevos fondos para los bancos que buscan liquidez. No obstante, la presencia de relaciones de préstamo interbancario se ha evaluado con base en la disponibilidad de fondos únicamente—dejando de lado su precio. En este documento reexaminamos la presencia de relaciones de préstamo interbancario evaluando simultáneamente la disponibilidad y precio de fondos interbancarios. Calculamos el coeficiente de sobrevivencia de las redes diarias que contienen el precio de los préstamos interbancarios en Colombia desde 2014 hasta 2020. Bajo esta aproximación, una relación interbancaria sobrevive de un día al siguiente si los fondos están disponibles a un precio que no se incrementa demasiado; en este sentido, la no disponibilidad de fondos o un aumento considerable en el precio de los fondos marca una discontinuidad en la relación entre dos bancos. Encontramos que cerca del 38 porciento de las relaciones en el mercado interbancario no colateralizado sobrevive de un día al siguiente. En consecuencia, desde una perspectiva amplia de disciplina de mercado, encontramos evidencia de la existencia de relaciones de préstamo interbancario en Colombia.Under the market discipline hypothesis, monitoring by interbank lenders may induce changes in either the price or availability of new interbank funds to borrower banks. However, the presence of interbank relationship lending has been evaluated based on the availability of funds only— disregarding their price. We revisit relationship lending in unsecured interbank lending markets by simultaneously evaluating the availability and price of funds. We calculate the survival ratio of networks containing the price of daily interbank lending in Colombia from 2014 to 2020. Under this framework, an interbank relation survives from one day to the next if the funds are available at a price that does not increase too much; that is, either a halt in interbank funding or a sizeable increase in the price of interbank funding mark a break in the relation between two banks. We find that about 38 percent of relations in the Colombian unsecured interbank lending market survive from one day to the next. Therefore, from a comprehensive market discipline perspective, we find evidence of interbank relationship lending in Colombia.Enfoque Las relaciones de préstamo sin colateral entre entidades financieras son fundamentales para el buen funcionamiento de la economía. La estabilidad de estas relaciones refleja la confianza que existe al interior del sistema financiero y son, por lo tanto, vitales para la estabilidad financiera. Se hace referencia a relaciones de préstamo interbancario (interbank relationship lending) cuando esas relaciones son estables y fuertes a través del tiempo. No existe un método único para medir la estabilidad y fortaleza de las relaciones de préstamo sin colateral entre entidades financieras. Sin embargo, los métodos existentes en la literatura se concentran en determinar si existen fondos disponibles del prestamista al prestatario. El costo de los fondos disponibles es irrelevante. No considerar el costo de los fondos disponibles puede ser inconveniente. Por ejemplo, si el Banco A le presta al Banco B en dos periodos consecutivos, esta relación es usualmente considerada como estable. Pero, si ese préstamo del Banco A al Banco B en el primer periodo tiene un costo de 3 por ciento y en el segundo periodo tiene un costo del 6 por ciento, ¿es esta relación estable? El costo de los fondos disponibles contiene información sobre la confianza entre las instituciones financieras. No considerar el costo de los fondos ignora un concepto bien conocido en la literatura, la disciplina de mercado, según el cual el monitoreo entre instituciones financieras puede resultar en cambios en la disponibilidad y en el costo de los fondos que se prestan entre ellas. Contribución Desarrollamos una metodología que permite calcular la proporción de préstamos interbancarios que sobrevive ininterrumpidamente a un precio similar a través del tiempo. Para esto se construyó una serie de redes que contienen información sobre el costo de los préstamos interbancarios no colateralizados entre instituciones financieras en Colombia desde 2014 hasta 2020, sobre la cual se calculó la razón de sobrevivencia (i.e. la proporción de relaciones que sobrevive durante un periodo). Esta metodología permite cuantificar la persistencia de las relaciones de préstamo interbancario de manera práctica y permanente (con frecuencia diaria) bajo la premisa según la cual la disponibilidad de fondos a un precio similar determina la existencia de relaciones estables y fuertes. Esta metodología no solo permite evaluar si existen relaciones de préstamo interbancario, sino que brinda una herramienta adicional para monitorear y estudiar de mejor manera la confianza del mercado interbancario, la cual es de importancia crítica para la estabilidad financiera. Resultados Con base en información diaria desde enero de 2014 hasta agosto de 2020, se encontró que cerca del 38 por ciento de las relaciones de préstamo persisten de un día para otro a un precio similar. Así mismo, se comprobó que la aleatoriedad no es una posible explicación de los resultados obtenidos. En consecuencia, desde una perspectiva de disciplina de mercado, se concluye que existe evidencia de relaciones de préstamo interbancario en el caso colombiano. Adicionalmente, los resultados sugieren que la metodología presentada en el artículo brinda una herramienta adicional en el monitoreo de los mercados financieros, así como un elemento adicional para el estudio y análisis de dichos mercados. FRASE DESTACADA Esta metodología permite cuantificar la persistencia de las relaciones de préstamo interbancario de manera práctica y permanente (con frecuencia diaria) bajo la premisa según la cual la disponibilidad de fondos a un precio similar determina la existencia de relaciones estables y fuertes

Redundancia de las medidas de centralidad en Infraestructuras del Mercado Financiero

El concepto de centralidad ha sido ampliamente utilizado para monitorear sistemas con estructura de red ya que permite identificar a los participantes más influyentes. Las labores de monitoreo pueden ser difíciles de realizar si el número de participantes en esos sistemas es considerablemente amplio o si las medidas de centralidad producen resultados no coincidentes o generan señales mixtas. Este documento usa el análisis de componentes principales para evaluar un conjunto de medidas de centralidad calculadas para las instituciones financieras que participan en cuatro infraestructuras de los mercados financieros en Colombia. Los resultados obtenidos son utilizados para construir índices generales de centralidad, utilizando como insumos las medidas de centralidad más fuertes y dejando de lado aquellas consideradas redundantes.The concept of centrality has been widely used to monitor systems with a network structure because it allows identifying their most influential participants. But this monitoring task can be difficult if the number of system participants is considerably large or if the wide variety of centrality measures currently available produce non-coincident (or mixed) signals. This document uses principal component analysis to evaluate a set of centrality measures calculated for the financial institutions that participate in four financial market infrastructures of Colombia. The results obtained are used to construct general indices of centrality, using the strongest measures of centrality as inputs, and leaving aside those considered redundant.Enfoque Este documento estudia medidas de centralidad calculadas para el Sistema de Pagos de Alto Valor (CUD), la Cámara de Compensación de Divisas (CCDC), y los depósitos centrales de valores (DCV y Deceval). Estas cuatro infraestructuras del mercado financiero colombiano son sistemas con estructura de red, conformados por un gran número de participantes (instituciones financieras) que se encuentran conectados mediante relaciones de pagos, intercambios o transacciones similares. Su buen funcionamiento es fundamental para el buen desempeño del sistema financiero, y, por consiguiente, de la economía en general. Esto implica que cambios en la actividad de sus participantes o choques exógenos pueden generar efectos no deseados en esos sistemas. Es por esa razón que tanto bancos centrales como agencias de supervisión realizan un continuo seguimiento a la actividad de las instituciones que participan en esas infraestructuras. Este documento hace uso del criterio de centralidad para determinar qué tan importante es cada uno de los participantes en esas infraestructuras del mercado financiero. Contribución Las medidas de centralidad permiten monitorear a los participantes de sistemas con estructura de red e identificar a los más centrales; es decir, a aquellos que pueden generar mayores impactos en caso de incumplimiento. Sin embargo, esas labores de monitoreo pueden ser difíciles de realizar si el número de participantes en esos sistemas es considerablemente alto, o si las medidas de centralidad producen resultados no coincidentes o generan señales mixtas. En este documento se evalúan veintiséis medidas de centralidad para cada participante de cada infraestructura del mercado financiero. Se incluyen medidas de centralidad para redes dirigidas y sin dirigir, considerando solo aquellas que tienen soporte teórico. También se incluyen medidas de centralidad para redes ponderadas por el valor de las transacciones y para redes sin ponderar. El análisis de componentes principales se usa para identificar cuáles medidas de centralidad serán utilizadas para construir índices generales de centralidad. Esto implica que las medidas identificas como redundantes son excluidas de los índices generales debido a su baja contribución al criterio general de centralidad. Al igual que Joliffe (1972, 1973), la detección de las medidas redundantes que se logra usando el análisis de componentes principales, se verifica posteriormente mediante cuatro técnicas alternativas de reducción de datos. Resultados Las medidas identificadas como redundantes son eccentricity (ponderada y sin ponderar), closeness ponderada, y hub y authority ponderadas. Los índices generales calculados para cada infraestructura del mercado financiero permiten construir ordenamientos de sus participantes más centrales. Estos últimos son aquellos sobre los cuales se deben realizar las labores de monitoreo con mayor detenimiento debido a su potencial impacto en el sistema. Los índices generales de centralidad que se presentan en este documento tienen como propósito facilitar las labores de monitoreo que se realizan en el Banco de la República a los participantes de las infraestructuras de los mercados financieros

El ciclo financiero global y los efectos de la política monetaria no convencional de la Fed sobre los flujos internacionales de portafolio en Colombia

Evaluar los efectos de la política monetaria de EE. UU. en los flujos de portafolio es importante para los hacedores de política, ya que podría afectar la eficacia de la política monetaria local. Este artículo analiza los efectos del Ciclo Financiero Global (CFG) y los anuncios de política monetaria no convencional de la Reserva Federal (Fed) sobre los flujos de inversión extranjera de portafolio en Colombia entre 2010 y 2018. Usando un modelo de mínimos cuadrados ordinarios con correlación serial corregida, encontramos que los anuncios de política monetaria no convencional de la Fed afectaron los flujos de portafolio en Colombia, especialmente los relacionados con Tapering, Operación Twist y Forward Guidance. Estos anuncios reforzaron los efectos del CFG durante el período analizado. Los resultados por tipo de flujo indican que los flujos de deuda soberana son más sensibles a los anuncios de la Fed que los flujos de bonos y acciones privados.Assessing the effects of U.S. monetary policies on portfolio flows is important for policymakers as they could pose risks to the effectiveness of domestic monetary policy. This paper analyzes the effects of the Global Financial Cycle (GFC) and Federal Reserve (Fed) unconventional monetary policy announcements on foreign portfolio investment flows in Colombia between 2010 and 2018. Using an ordinary least squares model with corrected serial correlation, we find that Fed unconventional monetary policy announcements affected portfolio flows in Colombia, especially those related to Tapering, Operation Twist and Forward Guidance. These announcements reinforced the effects of the GFC during the period analyzed. The results by type of flow indicate that public bonds flows are more sensitive to Fed announcements than private bond and equity flows.Enfoque Este documento presenta un enfoque que permite analizar los efectos de la política monetaria no convencional de EE. UU. sobre diferentes tipos de inversión de portafolio en Colombia entre 2010 y 2018. En la primera parte, se analizan los diferentes canales de transmisión de dicha política sobre los flujos de capital. En la segunda parte, se usan regresiones de mínimos cuadrados ordinarios con correlación serial corregida para determinar su impacto sobre los flujos de portafolio en Colombia tanto públicos como privados. Contribución Este es el primer documento del que tenemos conocimiento que examina los efectos de la política monetaria no convencional de la Fed sobre los flujos de portafolio en Colombia, y si acentuaron el impacto que tiene el ciclo financiero global sobre estos flujos. Resultados Las estimaciones señalan que los anuncios de política monetaria no convencional de la Fed afectaron los flujos de portafolio en Colombia, particularmente los relacionados con Tapering, Operation Twist y Forward Guidance. Los resultados por tipo de flujo indican que los flujos de bonos de deuda soberana local son más sensibles a los anuncios de la Fed que los flujos de acciones. Dada la importancia del ciclo financiero global en la dinámica de los flujos de capital, encontramos que la política monetaria no convencional acentuó su efecto sobre los flujos de portafolio en Colombia

Spatial analysis of habitat quality in a fragmented population of little bustard (Tetrax tetrax): Implications for conservation

P. 45-56Little bustard populations have suffered reduction and isolation as a consequence of landscape transformations resulting from changes in traditional agricultural systems. Consequently, the species survives within reduced and fragmentary habitats, like islands isolated in a modified matrix. In this paper, we analyze the spatial variations in male density and habitat quality in a fragmented population located at the limit of the species’ Iberian range, which is affected by agricultural intensification, using a regional modelling approach. Habitat quality (quantified according to the species perception) and bird density decreased along the intensification gradient. However, in the most intensive agricultural zone, the quality of habitats selected by little bustard males increased, while density decreased, against the expected. In possible explanation, we suggest: (1) density is not necessarily a good indicator of habitat quality, (2) population could be under-saturated in this zone, (3) interannual variations in species distribution, or (4) other relevant variables related to the agricultural intensification process not included in this analysis, such as small-scale disturbances. Analysis of population distribution pattern showed a spatial configuration in which the most densely populated squares were located at the core of the biggest population patches, in contact with mid-density squares, and all surrounded by low-density squares. Fragmentation negatively affected habitat quality and male density. Largest population patches, containing higher density values, were located at the beginning of the intensification gradient. Preservation of little bustard densities is related to an adequate management of the farming system. Habitat fragmentation requires an urgent conservation strategy to prevent local and regional scale habitat deterioration, by reducing patch isolation to maintain genetic diversification and functional connectivity

Implementació d'un Laboratori d'Habilitats Clíniques

Podeu consultar la Vuitena trobada de professorat de Ciències de la Salut completa a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/66524L’ensenyament en Ciències de la Salut complementa la formació teòrica amb la realització de pràctiques clíniques. Els nous plans d’estudis contemplen les competències i habilitats obligatòries a adquirir. El seu aprenentatge es complexa, intens i perllongat en el temps, integrant coneixements teòrics i habilitat en el maneig de les diferents tècniques. Els maniquins simuladors permeten l’ensenyament i entrenament sense estres per l’alumne i el professorat i sense riscos ple malalt. L’any 2005 es va crear al nostre Campus un Laboratori d’habilitats Clíniques (LHC)..

Healthy effects of prebiotics and their metabolites against intestinal diseases and colorectal cancer

A specific group of plant and animal oligosaccharides does not suffer enzymatic digestion in the human upper intestinal tract, achieving the colon microbial ecosystem in intact form. The reason for that is their diverse glycosidic bond structure, in comparison with common energetic polysaccharides as starch or glycogen. In this complex ecosystem, these molecules serve as energy sources, via fermentation, of distinctive beneficial bacterial groups, mainly belonging to the Anaerostipes, Bifidobacterium, Coprococcus, Faecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, Roseburia and other genera. The main catabolic products of these fermentations are short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) as acetate, propionate and butyrate, which appear in high concentrations in the lumen around the colon mucosa. Acetate and propionate are associated to energetic purposes for enterocytes, hepatocytes and other cells. Butyrate is the preferred energy source for colonocytes where it controls their cell cycle; butyrate is able to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in tumor colonocytes. These oligosaccharides that increase beneficial colon bacterial populations and induce SCFA production in this ecosystem are called prebiotics. Here, different sources and chemical structures for prebiotics are described, as well as their modulatory effect on the growth of specific probiotic bacterial groups in the colon, and how their fermentation renders diverse SCFA, with beneficial effects in gut healt

Impact of resistance training on the autophagy-inflammation-apoptosis crosstalk in elderly subjects

[EN]Aging is associated with a decline in autophagy and a state of low-grade inflammation which further affects apoptosis and autophagy. Importantly, these alterations could reverse with regular physical activity. This study assessed the effects of a resistance exercise training program on autophagy, NLRP3 inflammasome, and apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from old subjects. Twenty-six healthy women and men (age, 69.6±1.5 yr) were randomized to a training (TG) or a control (CG) group. TG performed an 8-week resistance training program, while CG followed their daily routines. Protein expression of beclin-1, Atg12, Atg16 and LAMP-2 increased following the training program, while expression of p62/SQSTM1 and phosphorylation of ULK-1 at Ser757 were significantly lower. Resistance exercise also induced a decrease in NLRP3 expression and in the caspase-1/procaspase-1 ratio. Expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, as well as the Bad/BcL-2 ratio were reduced, and there was a significant decrease in the protein content of caspase-3. The results obtained seem to indicate that 8-week resistance training stimulates autophagy, prevents NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and reduces apoptosis in PBMCs from elderly subjects. These data could have a significant impact in prevention and rehabilitation programs currently employed in elderly population.S

Payment Systems Report - June of 2019

For the last decade, Banco de la República has provided oversight of the local financial infrastructure as an additional contribution to support the country’s financial stability. This is a function performed by most central banks the world over, because they recognize infrastructure as being an essential component of financial markets. Infrastructure that functions properly helps to maintain and promote financial stability, being that it plays a fundamental role in the financial system and in the economy. In the Colombian case, the oversight of the country’s financial infrastructures began formally a decade ago, when External Resolution 5/2009 was issued and the authority to oversight that infrastructures was given to Banco de la República by its Board of Directors. Since then, the oversight has been formal and systematic. To commemorate ublication of the tenth edition of the Payment Systems Report, which is one of the products of financial infrastructure oversight, a section describing this function is included herein, explaining its need, responsibilities, scope, and activities. On this occasion, in addition to the traditional section providing figures on the local financial infrastructure and describing its behavior (Section One), we have included several highlights that underscore the more relevant aspects of how infrastructure for clearing and settling financial assets has evolved in the last decade. Special emphasis is afforded to the Colombian Central Counterparty Clearing House (CRCC), marking its ten years of operation. There also is a box describing how the company has increased its supply of products for clearing and settlement, and how, as a result, the open positions of its settlement members have performed likewise. At the same time, its risk management model has evolved structurally in response to regulatory adjustments, compliance with international standards, or decisions taken unilaterally by the CRCC, the idea being to have the necessary resources to mitigate exposure to counterparty and liquidity risk. In this way, the CRCC has become a undamentally important player in the Colombian financial market. Therefore, it is appropriate that the CRCC continue to be monitored by the country’s financial authorities. Another box included in this report offers an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of lengthening the cash market settlement period in Colombia, which is another topic of interest. Currently, the clearing and settlement time for a cash transaction in most international markets is two business days (t + 2). In Colombia, nearly all peso/dollar and government and private debt transactions on the spot market are cleared and settled on the same trading day (t + 0). This box analyzes the possible implications of Colombia approximating the international standard. Retail-value payment systems (understood as operations carried out within the circuit of private individuals and companies), such as the use of payment instruments (cash, debit and credit cards, checks and electronic funds transfers), also must be monitored to identify their availability and the public’s preferences for these instruments and their acceptance by commercial establishments. With that in mind, three surveys have been conducted in the last decade to gauge how the use of payment instruments is perceived. A comparison of the findings of these three measurements is presented in a section of this report, and an analysis of that comparison indicates the use of payment instruments other than cash for daily payments is still low. Although their ownership and use by the general public is increasing, their acceptance by some commercial establishments remains limited. In keeping with efforts to oversight innovations in payment processes, the report also includes a box that explores the participation of large, global technology companies in the retail-value payment market. The payment services they offer are associated with innovative payment methods, such as “non-contact” or indirect technology, or by means of devices such as mobile phones, the use of debit and credit cards via applications, and channels such as the mobile network, POS terminals, and the Internet. In other words, these innovations are concentrated in the first stage of the payment process, without altering the other stages, such as traditional payment instruments, channels and systems. Finally, with respect to work in the area of applied research, the fourth section of this report describes how the cryptoasset system operates. It has two fundamental elements. The first is comprised of the agents who participate in the system; namely, cryptoasset users, and the agents who provide them with services. The second includes the digital asset and the underlying technology platform; together they support interaction between the agents in the crypto asset system. As explained in the respective box, the cryptoasset system is not isolated entirely from the financial system, which it pretends do without. In other words, users cannot extract themselves from the traditional financial system as long as cryptoassets have yet to be adopted on a mass scale, which so far assumes there is a connection between both systems. Juan José Echavarría Governo

Payment Systems Report - June of 2020

With its annual Payment Systems Report, Banco de la República offers a complete overview of the infrastructure of Colombia’s financial market. Each edition of the report has four objectives: 1) to publicize a consolidated account of how the figures for payment infrastructures have evolved with respect to both financial assets and goods and services; 2) to summarize the issues that are being debated internationally and are of interest to the industry that provides payment clearing and settlement services; 3) to offer the public an explanation of the ideas and concepts behind retail-value payment processes and the trends in retail payments within the circuit of individuals and companies; and 4) to familiarize the public, the industry, and all other financial authorities with the methodological progress that has been achieved through applied research to analyze the stability of payment systems. This edition introduces changes that have been made in the structure of the report, which are intended to make it easier and more enjoyable to read. The initial sections in this edition, which is the eleventh, contain an analysis of the statistics on the evolution and performance of financial market infrastructures. These are understood as multilateral systems wherein the participating entities clear, settle and register payments, securities, derivatives and other financial assets. The large-value payment system (CUD) saw less momentum in 2019 than it did the year before, mainly because of a decline in the amount of secondary market operations for government bonds, both in cash and sell/buy-backs, which was offset by an increase in operations with collective investment funds (CIFs) and Banco de la República’s operations to increase the money supply (repos). Consequently, the Central Securities Depository (DCV) registered less activity, due to fewer negotiations on the secondary market for public debt. This trend was also observed in the private debt market, as evidenced by the decline in the average amounts cleared and settled through the Central Securities Depository of Colombia (Deceval) and in the value of operations with financial derivatives cleared and settled through the Central Counterparty of Colombia (CRCC). Section three offers a comprehensive look at the market for retail-value payments; that is, transactions made by individuals and companies. During 2019, electronic transfers increased, and payments made with debit and credit cards continued to trend upward. In contrast, payments by check continued to decline, although the average daily value was almost four times the value of debit and credit card purchases. The same section contains the results of the fourth survey on how the use of retail-value payment instruments (for usual payments) is perceived. Conducted at the end of 2019, the main purpose of the survey was to identify the availability of these payment instruments, the public’s preferences for them, and their acceptance by merchants. It is worth noting that cash continues to be the instrument most used by the population for usual monthly payments (88.1% with respect to the number of payments and 87.4% in value). However, its use in terms of value has declined, having registered 89.6% in the 2017 survey. In turn, the level of acceptance by merchants of payment instruments other than cash is 14.1% for debit cards, 13.4% for credit cards, 8.2% for electronic transfers of funds and 1.8% for checks. The main reason for the use of cash is the absence of point-of-sale terminals at commercial establishments. Considering that the retail-payment market worldwide is influenced by constant innovation in payment services, by the modernization of clearing and settlement systems, and by the efforts of regulators to redefine the payment industry for the future, these trends are addressed in the fourth section of the report. There is an account of how innovations in technology-based financial payment services have developed, and it shows that while this topic is not new, it has evolved, particularly in terms of origin and vocation. One of the boxes that accompanies the fourth section deals with certain payment aspects of open banking and international experience in that regard, which has given the customers of a financial entity sovereignty over their data, allowing them, under transparent and secure conditions, to authorize a third party, other than their financial entity, to request information on their accounts with financial entities, thus enabling the third party to offer various financial services or initiate payments. Innovation also has sparked interest among international organizations, central banks, and research groups concerning the creation of digital currencies. Accordingly, the last box deals with the recent international debate on issuance of central bank digital currencies. In terms of the methodological progress that has been made, it is important to underscore the work that has been done on the role of central counterparties (CCPs) in mitigating liquidity and counterparty risk. The fifth section of the report offers an explanation of a document in which the work of CCPs in financial markets is analyzed and corroborated through an exercise that was built around the Central Counterparty of Colombia (CRCC) in the Colombian market for non-delivery peso-dollar forward exchange transactions, using the methodology of network topology. The results provide empirical support for the different theoretical models developed to study the effect of CCPs on financial markets. Finally, the results of research using artificial intelligence with information from the large-value payment system are presented. Based on the payments made among financial institutions in the large-value payment system, a methodology is used to compare different payment networks, as well as to determine which ones can be considered abnormal. The methodology shows signs that indicate when a network moves away from its historical trend, so it can be studied and monitored. A methodology similar to the one applied to classify images is used to make this comparison, the idea being to extract the main characteristics of the networks and use them as a parameter for comparison. Juan José Echavarría Governo