ALM practices, multiple uncertainty and monopolistic behavior: A microeconomic study of banking decisions

We study the decisions that a monopolistic bank takes to achieve risk management and profit objectives. The bank faces liquidity and solvency risks because loans may not be repaid and because unexpected deposit withdrawals may occur. The Asset-Liability-Management (ALM) banking model shows that compromise solutions are necessary to deal with the tradeoffs between liquidity management and profitability. It also shows that asset management practices increase profits. Moreover it shows that liability management practices and market power support profitability. Finally, the model confirms that banks should undertake long-term risky investments when depositors trust the viability of the asset transformation process.Banking; ALM; multiple uncertainty; monopolistic behavior

Financial structure, financial development and banking fragility: International evidence

We study the effects of financial structure and financial development on banking fragility. We develop our study by using fixed-effects panel-data regressions and by controlling the effects of certain banking indicators. We use individual and principal-components indicators of the activity, size and efficiency of intermediaries and markets. The indicators include data for 211 countries between 1990 and 2003. Our main findings suggest that banking stability is enhanced in market-based financial systems. Financial development reduces it. However this fragility-enhancing effect can be unveiled only when we account for financial structure. Thus, financial structure and development jointly matter to assess banking fragility.Banks; fragility; financial structure; financial development

Corporate governance, market competition and investment decisions in Mexican manufacturing firms

We study how competition and corporate governance may explain investment decisions of Mexican manufacturing firms. We develop the study with indexes of market concentration and agency costs and OLS regressions. The analysis uses longitudinal census data. Our results suggest that investment is better explained by the Dominance Index, a Mexican measure of concentration, than by the Herfindahl-Hirschman one. They also suggest that agency costs (proxy for the degree of separation of ownership and control), and market competition may encourage investment decisions. Furthermore they suggest an inverse relationship between market competition and agency costs. We believe that our findings support the hypothesis that competition may be an alternative mechanism to encourage corporate practices in emerging economies.Corporate governance; competition; investment; Mexico; manufacturing, economic development

Globalization, business cycles and global crisis, 2007-2010

In this essay we analyze the global financial crisis of the period 2007-2010. Particularly, we assess its origins, features and the responses given to deal with it from a theoretical and historical perspective. We conclude that the global crisis may not have a short-term solution due to the lack of synchronization of the business cycles among developed and underdeveloped economies. We also include a chronology of events.globalization; business cycles; global crisis; cronology 2007-2010

Información privilegiada, administración de riesgos y utilidades esperadas: Una aplicación de los juegos de señalización al estudio de crisis cambiarias

In this paper we study the hypothesis of “divergent expectations” with a signaling game. Such hypothesis points out that, in emerging economies, local investors tend to be front-runners in a currency crisis. Our analysis shows that changes in the informational structure available to the investors change their risk management practices. Particularly, if local investors have privileged information, about the likelihood of problems in the economy, they will monopolize the available asset returns and expected utilities. Furthermore the sum of expected utilities of local and foreign investors will be lower than the one achieved without information asymmetries.privileged information. risk management; expected utilities; currency crises; divergent expectations

The benefits of leadership in the banking deposit market: A comparison between Cournot and Stackelberg

We analyze the effects of leadership in banking when oligopolistic competition exists in the market of deposits. We assess such effects by comparing the performance of banking systems that only differ on their strategic interactions. Specifically, we compare the outcomes associated to strategies of the Cournot and Stackelberg types (symmetric competition and leader-follower strategies). Our main findings suggest that there are private and social benefits associated to leadership. The results suggest that it induces high levels of deposits, of returns and of consumption for long-term depositors. Moreover, leadership enhances financial stability and efficiency in banking.banks; leadership; deposits; benefits; stability

Banking competition and financial fragility: Evidence from panel-data

We study how banking competition may affect the stability of banking systems. We develop our study by expanding the failure-determinant methodology to include panel-data techniques and by controlling the effects of financial structure and development. We use indicators for 47 countries between 1990 and 1997. The main findings show that banking concentration and foreign ownership are associated to bank-based financial systems and financial underdevelopment. They also show that banking credit and bank-based financial systems enhance banking fragility. Banking concentration is not a significant determinant. Furthermore our findings suggest that financial structure and, maybe, the property regime matter to assess fragility.Banks, competition, fragility, financial systems

Banking Competition and Financial Fragility: Evidence from Panel-Data

We study how competition may affect the stability of banking systems. We modify the failure-determinant methodology to include panel-data techniques. We use indicators for 47 countries between 1990 and 1997. The main findings show that banking concentration and foreign ownership are associated to bank-based financial systems and financial underdevelopment. They also show that banking credit and bank-based financial systems enhance banking fragility. Banking concentration is not a significant determinant. Furthermore our findings suggest that financial structure and, maybe, the property regime matter to assess such fragility.banks, competition, fragility, financial systems.

Las hipótesis de Fisher en Latinoamérica: un análisis de cointegración

En este artículo se evalúan las hipótesis de Fisher y de integración de los mercados latinoamericanos mediante pruebas de cointegración y de cambio estructural endógeno. Los hallazgos sugieren varias conclusiones: a) el efecto Fisher se valida principalmente en Costa Rica; b) el efecto internacional de Fisher se valida débilmente entre Chile y Costa Rica y entre Colombia y México; c) la integración de los países y mercados es heterogénea, y d) únicamente Chile no tuvo cambios estructurales. En el estudio se usan series mensuales de Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, México y Perú durante el periodo comprendido entre enero de 1997 y diciembre de 2014.Neste artigo, avaliam-se as hipóteses de Fisher e de integração dos mercados latino-americanos mediante testes de cointegração e de mudança estrutural endógena. Os achados sugerem várias conclusões: a) o efeito Fisher é validado principalmente na Costa Rica; b) o efeito internacional de Fisher é validado debilmente entre o Chile e a Costa Rica, e entre a Colômbia e o México; c) a integração dos países e mercados é heterogênea; d) unicamente o Chile não teve mudanças estruturais. Além disso, usam-se séries mensais do Brasil, Chile, Colômbia, Costa Rica, México e do Peru durante o período compreendido entre janeiro de 1997 e dezembro de 2014.This article evaluates the Fisher hypothesis and the hypothesis of the integration of Latin American markets through co-integration and endogenous structural change tests. The findings suggest a number of conclusions: a) the Fisher effect is validated mainly in Costa Rica; b) the international Fisher effect is validated weakly between Chile and Costa Rica and between Colombia and Mexico; c) the integration of counties and markets is heterogeneous, and d) only Chile did not present structural changes. The study uses monthly series for Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru during the January 1997 to December 2014 period

Corporate governance, strategic diversification and performance of firms in Mexico

We study the empirical relationships among corporate governance, strategic diversification and financial performance in Mexico. The study uses data from 99 non-financial firms listed in the BMV (Mexican Stock Market) during 2004. The main relationships found are: Firms which property is concentrated use to focus on the domestic market. Family businesses diversify their productive activities and their sources of income. There are no trends, regarding strategies and performance, related to the separation between ownership and control. When independent committees exist in the board of directors, firms diversify on a mean-narrow-spectrum sense.corporate governance; strategic diversification; performance; family ownership; boards of directors