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Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 138 No. 2 2020

Does the lack of financial stability impair the transmission of monetary policy?

Viral V. Acharya1; Björn Imbierowicz2; Sascha Steffen3; Daniel Teichmann4

1 New York University · 2 Deutsche Bundesbank · 3 Frankfurt School of Finance & Management · 4 Goethe University Frankfurt

open access

Abstract

We investigate the transmission of central bank liquidity to bank deposits and loan spreads in Europe over the period from January 2006 to June 2010. We find evidence consistent with an impaired transmission channel due to bank risk. Central bank liquidity does not translate into lower loan spreads for high-risk banks for maturities beyond one year, even as it lowers deposit spreads for both high- and low-risk banks. This adversely affects the balance sheets of high-risk bank borrowers, leading to lower payouts, lower capital expenditures, and lower employment. Overall, our results suggest that banks’ capital constraints at the time of an easing of monetary policy pose a challenge to the effectiveness of the bank-lending channel and the central bank's lender of last resort function.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2020.06.011
Volume
138
Issue
2
Pages
342-365
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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