Volume 15, Issue 2 June 2019

The Tradeoff between Monetary Policy and Bank Stability

Abstract

This paper investigates the transmission of monetary policy to systemic risk of euro-area and U.S. banks between 2008 and 2015. Using market measures of systemic risk and a VAR to obtain monetary policy shocks, we find that accommodative policy generally has a positive effect on bank stability in the euro area but a negative effect in the United States. Different transmission channels are at play: in the euro area the effect works mainly through a stealth recapitalization channel, while in the United States the effect is due to risk-shifting. Moreover, transmission of monetary policy differs across bank business models.

Authors

  • Martien Lamers
  • Frederik Mergaerts
  • Elien Meuleman
  • Rudi Vander Vennet

JEL codes

  • G21
  • G32
  • E52