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Reserve Bank of New Zealand On 16 March the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), the country's central bank, lowered its Official Cash Rate from 1.0% to 0.25% and said it would remain at that level "for at least the next 12 months." The RBNZ announced that it would delay by 12 months the start date of increased capital requirements for banks until 1 July 2021, and said it would…
Canadian Government On 13 March the government announced the creation of a CA$10 billion Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) to support financing in the private sector through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Export Development Canada (EDC). Under this program, BDC and EDC will increase their cooperation with private sector lenders to coordinate financing and credit insurance solutions for Canadian businesses. The government also announced a series of…
United States Government As the world's largest economy, the U.S. has been at the forefront of taking the initiative to help its citizens and businesses survive financially during the shutdown and help them get back on their feet afterward. The main action taken by the government was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a more than US$2 trillion economic relief package that includes several important programs and…
From a financial historian's perspective, 2020 will go down as one of the most active years in the modern era. A number of events sent the capital markets into a state of flux, namely the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Amid the presence of COVID-19 and subsequent economic shutdown, the world's currency, commodity, debt and equity markets experienced unprecedented volatility. Governments and central banking authorities took dramatic steps to stem the tides…
The Canadian banking system is generally considered to be one of the safest in the world. According to Global Finance magazine's annual listing of the world's safest banks based on their credit ratings, eight Canadian banks ranked in the top 40 in 2019, including those ranked 11 through 13. Canadian banks captured the top six positions in the ranking of the safest banks in North America. Regulation One of the…
The Australian financial system is regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which oversees "authorised deposit-taking institutions" such as banks, building societies and credit unions. It also regulates insurance companies and "superannuation," or pension, funds. APRA was created by the Australian government on 1 July 1998. The agency is tasked with "maintaining the safety and soundness of financial institutions, so that the community can have confidence that they will…
What Is An ETF? Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment vehicles similar to mutual funds that hold a portfolio of securities, such as stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities and other assets. ETFs differ from mutual funds in that they are often designed to match the performance of a specific index and are therefore usually passive, while mutual funds are typically actively managed in order to try to outperform a specific index. ETFs…
What Is Modern Monetary Theory? Modern monetary theory (MMT) is a school of economic thought that essentially posits that governments can run large budget deficits without much concern because they can always print more money to make up the difference. The theory also argues that deficits only become a problem when they cause inflation, at which point governments should raise taxes. American economist Warren Mosler is credited with developing MMT…
What Is An Australian Real Estate Investment Trust? Australian real estate investment trusts (A-REITs) are funds that give individuals the opportunity to invest in large income-producing commercial properties that are usually available only to large institutions. A-REITs include properties that are located in Australia as well as funds open to Australians that invest internationally. REITs (pronounced "reetz") in general can be bought and sold like regular stocks or in mutual…
What Is The Eurex? Eurex is Europe's largest futures and options market and one of the most liquid fixed income markets in the world. It also offers a broad range of international benchmark products. Based in Frankfurt, Germany, Eurex is a public company that is 100% owned and operated by Deutsche Börse. It has market participants operating from 700 locations around the world, with more than 1.6 billion contracts traded…
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank, whose "duty is to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people," according to its website. The RBA does this by conducting monetary policy, establishing an interest rate in order to meet a medium-term inflation target, and maintaining a strong financial and efficient payments system. The bank also issues…
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