Academic literature on the topic 'Financial market uncertainty'

This paper is devoted to evaluating the convertible bonds within the framework of uncertainty theory. Under the assumption that the underlying stock price follows an uncertain differential equation driven by Liu process, the price formulas of convertible bonds and the callable convertible bonds are derived by using the method of uncertain calculus. Finally, two numerical examples are discussed.

In this paper, inside the system of uncertainty theory, the valuation of equity warrants is explored. Different from the strategies of probability theory, the valuation problem of equity warrants is unraveled by utilizing the strategy of uncertain calculus. Based on the suspicion that the firm price follows an uncertain differential equation, a valuation formula of equity warrants is proposed for an uncertain stock model.

Economic environment has changed significantly in recent days due to the COVID19 and measures the governments apply to combat it will inevitably cause the substantial shrinkage of economies due to reduced economic activities on the national as well as global levels. As a result, financial markets have been under great stress because there is no prediction on the size, scope, and duration of this situation. Simultaneously this causes a great uncertainty. It is obvious that financial markets play crucial role in the general good standing of economies because they are serving as a channel through which funds are transferred to and between entities on the market. Financial and monetary systems are a part of the economic system whereby for the latter it is important the former to be as stable as possible. In order this to be achieved or at least risks caused by uncertainty to be reduced both in short-term as well as long-term perspectives a wide scope of traditional as well as modern the financial market regulations have been applied and here we are going to present at least some of them.

This paper examines the effect of financial market uncertainty on market returns of different countries of the world. The effect of other macroeconomic like Consumer Price Index (CPI), Real Interest Rates (R.IR), Market Capitalization (MCAP), and Gross Domestic Product per capita growth (GDPPCG).For analyzing this relationship, around 40 countries data including developed and developing countries, over the period of 10 years from 2009-2018. For analysis, Panel Least Square (PLS) was used. Fixed Effect Model (FEM) is used to check the overall strength of the model. Group correlation was also performed on overall variables to check the causal relationship between all the variables and individual regression tests are also conducted country wise to explore that how much this model is applicable, descriptive analysis for market return and uncertainty to check the moments of these variables. The overall results it is concluded that market returns are affected by the financial markets uncertainty in the long run and it is a significant variable in explaining market returns while overall test results proved a positive relationship with market returns but individual testing of this model on each country shows, more than half countries in the study have a negative relationship of financial market uncertainty with market returns. Along this, other macro-economic variables impact is also measured over market returns of the world which shows all variables Consumer Price Index, Real Interest Rates and Market Capitalization except Gross Domestic Product per capita growth have a negative relationship with the Equity Market returns.

This paper studies a sample of Euro-Mediterranean countries to test the link of political-financial interdependencies. We focus specifically on the impact of the occurrence of national elections on the reaction of financial markets. We used the GARCH (1,1) model and the concept of the volatility multiplier to test our hypotheses. The results established that political elections have a significant impact on stock market performance and volatility for Euro-Mediterranean countries. We detected anomalous behavior in stock market returns. Stock market returns on election day and in the days following the election are inversely higher as uncertainty about the election outcome decreases. Investor uncertainty, combined with the consequences of the multiparty system in Euro-Mediterranean countries, leads to negative abnormal returns around elections. In terms of volatility, we found that the greater degree of uncertainty about the situation and the market disruption affected by the media and social networks increase volatility before election day.

This article deals with the determination and comparison of different types of functions of the type-2 interval of fuzzy logic, using a case study on the international financial market. The model is demonstrated on the time series of the leading stock index DJIA of the US market. Type-2 Fuzzy Logic membership features are able to include additional uncertainty resulting from unclear, uncertain or inaccurate financial data that are selected as inputs to the model. Data on the financial situation of companies are prone to inaccuracies or incomplete information, which is why the type-2 fuzzy logic application is most suitable for this type of financial analysis. This paper is primarily focused on comparing and evaluating the performance of different types of type-2 fuzzy membership functions with integrated additional uncertainty. For this purpose, several model situations differing in shape and level or degree of uncertainty of membership functions are constructed. The results of this research show that type-2 fuzzy sets with dual membership functions is a suitable expert system for highly chaotic and unstable international stock markets and achieves higher accuracy with the integration of a certain level of uncertainty compared to type-1 fuzzy logic.

WHAT WAS DONE? This study researches the success of several value investment strategies in the stock markets of the United Kingdom and Germany based on nine firm fundamentals that are extracted from listed firms annual financial statements. In this regard, we first examine alternative forecast combination methods in a novel way to utilise fully the financial information at hand. Second, we examine the drivers of investment returns, particularly the role of information uncertainty, for which a new direct measure is developed. Finally, we evaluate the performance of these financial health investment strategies in alternative institutional environments by focusing on the differences between the two markets regarding both their corporate culture and their legal environment. WHY WAS IT DONE? Similar to economics, the discipline of finance is a social science because its observations emanate from economic transactions between humans. Nevertheless, a significant part of the research in this area is undertaken by means that are almost exclusively applied to the natural sciences, such as mathematics or physics. Although the reasons seem manifold, an increased form of scientificity, in conjunction with greater credibility of the research process and results, is deemed to be of primary importance. However, the benchmark for evaluating these research outcomes differs from those used in the natural sciences. From the example of the efficient market hypothesis one can see that alternative research results that cast serious doubt upon efficiency per se are disregarded as aberrations, leading to the assumption that the hypothesis in its entirety is more or less valid. This study assumes that inefficiencies in the stock market do exist for prolonged periods of time and investors are actually able to benefit from them. HOW WAS IT DONE? Secondary financial statement data of listed companies in the United Kingdom and Germany were downloaded from Datastream for the period between 1992 and 2010. A quantitative analysis of the significance of the correlation between groups of firms with similar financial characteristics and their one-year-ahead stock returns was subsequently performed. Various combination methods for differential weighting of individual financial statement items were conducted. The aim was to increase the profitability of the investment strategy. WHAT WAS FOUND? In general, a classification of stocks according to certain internal criteria of financial health is capable of separating future winners from losers and at the same time confirms the results of a previous US study. More specifically, we first show that a wide range of combination methods generate profitable investment strategies whereby especially measures of profitability are the central indicator of a firm s future performance. Secondly, the more complex methods neither consistently nor substantively outperform the simpler methods. Thirdly, information uncertainty does not seem to be the prime driver of the profitability of an investment strategy. Lastly, we show that financial health investment strategies are profitable both in market-oriented, common law settings and in bank-oriented, code law settings.

This thesis adds to the resolution of two problems in finance and economics: i) what is macro-financial uncertainty? : How to measure it? How is it different from risk? How important is it for the financial markets? And ii) what sort of asymmetries underlie financial risk and uncertainty propagation across the global financial markets? That is, how risk and uncertainty change according to factors such as market states or market participants. In Chapter 2, which is entitled “Momentum Uncertainties”, I study the relationship between macroeconomic uncertainty and the abnormal returns of a momentum trading strategy in the stock market. I show that high levels of uncertainty in the economy impact negatively and significantly the returns of a portfolio of stocks that consist of buying past winners and selling past losers. High uncertainty reduces below zero the abnormal returns of momentum, extinguishes the Sharpe ratio of the momentum strategy, while increases the probability of momentum crashes both by increasing the skewness and the kurtosis of the momentum return distribution. Uncertainty acts as an economic regime that underlies abrupt changes over time of the returns generated by momentum strategies. In Chapter 3, “Measuring Uncertainty in the Stock Market”, I propose a new index for measuring stock market uncertainty on a daily basis. The index considers the inherent differentiation between uncertainty and the common variations between the series. The second contribution of chapter 3 is to show how this financial uncertainty index can also serve as an indicator of macroeconomic uncertainty. Finally, I analyze the dynamic relationship between uncertainty and the series of consumption, interest rates, production and stock market prices, among others. In chapter 4: “Uncertainty, Systemic Shocks and the Global Banking Sector: Has the Crisis Modified their Relationship?”, I explore the stability of systemic risk and uncertainty propagation among financial institutions in the global economy, and show that it has remained stable over the last decade. Additionally, I provide a new simple tool for measuring the resilience of financial institutions to these systemic shocks. My contribution to the literature in this essay is mainly the examination of the characteristics and stability of systemic risk and uncertainty, in relation to the dynamics of the banking sector stock returns. This sort of evidence is new to the literature and is supportive of past claims, made in the field of macroeconomics, which hold that during the global financial crisis the financial system may have faced stronger versions of traditional shocks rather than a new type of shock. In chapter 5, “Currency downside risk, liquidity, and financial stability”, I analyze downside risk propagation across global currency markets and the ways in which it is related to liquidity. I make two primary contributions to the literature. First, I estimate tail-spillovers between currencies in the global FX market. This index is easy to build and does not require intraday data, which constitutes an important advantage. Second, I show that turnover is related to risk spillovers in global currency markets. Chapter 6 is entitled “Spillovers from the United States to Latin American and G7 Stock Markets: A VAR-Quantile Analysis”. This essay contributes to the studies of contagion, market integration and cross-border spillovers during both regular and crisis episodes by carrying out a multivariate quantile analysis. I focus the analysis carried out in this chapter on Latin American stock markets, which have been characterized by a highly positive dynamic in recent decades, in terms of market capitalization and liquidity ratios, after a far-reaching process of market liberalization and reforms to pension funds across the continent during the 80s and 90s. I documented smaller dependences between the LA markets and the US market than those between the US and the developed economies, especially in the highest and lowest quantiles.
En esta tesis se exploran formas óptimas de medir la incertidumbre macroeconómica y sus impactos sobre la actividad económica y los mercados financieros; así como la propagación internacional del riesgo en los mercados de acciones y de divisas. En el primer capítulo de la tesis se muestra que los retornos de las estrategias de inversión basadas en extrapolar los ganadores y perdedores recientes en el mercado, con el fin de decidir en que títulos invertir en el futuro (momentum), son susceptibles al nivel de incertidumbre registrado en la economía. Cuando la incertidumbre es alta, este tipo de inversiones se vuelven sumamente riesgosas y poco rentables, y por tanto no son recomendables. En el segundo capítulo de la tesis se propone un índice de incertidumbre construido con retornos diarios del mercados de acciones, el cual presenta mejores propiedades que otras alternativas en la literatura. Se utiliza este índice para mostrar las dinámicas macroeconómicas que siguen a un choque de incertidumbre, las cuales son examinadas a la luz de la literatura teórica al respecto. En el tercer capítulo de la tesis se examinan la propagación de la incertidumbre y el riesgo sistémico a las entidades bancarias globales, se estima un modelo de riesgo sistémico que permite mostrar como la propagación del riesgo ha permanecido estable durante las últimas décadas, y además, permite ofrecer nuevas listas de instituciones financieras vulnerables ante los choques de naturaleza sistémica en el mercado, que complementan las que actualmente existen en la literatura y en la práctica regulatoria. En el cuarto capítulo de la tesis se propone un indicador de estabilidad financiera para el mercado de divisas. Tal indicador se basa en el análisis de los cuantiles de depreciación del mercado de divisas, que por definición son de mayor interés para los reguladores, en cuanto está relacionados con las posibilidades de crisis cambiarias. Las asimetrías en la propagación de choques internaciones que se registran durante las depreciaciones (en comparación con los periodos de apreciación) se analizan a la luz del factor de liquidez en el mercado. En el quinto y último capítulo se analiza el efecto choques provenientes del mercado de acciones de Estados Unidos, sobre 6 mercados maduros y seis mercados emergentes de Latino América. Se muestra que la propagación depende del momento en el que se encuentre el mercado al momento de registrarse el choque (al alza o a la baja) y se proponen estrategias de diversificación internacional de portafolios de activos financieros.

The evolution of market interest rates is a key component of the trans-mission of monetary policy. Central Banks, market participants and monetary policy practitioners make use of the information contained in financial prices to better understand market interest rates develop-ments. Such a comprehensive and quantitative assessment might also be derived from option-implied probability density functions (PDFs), and in particular when applied to Euribor options, which constitute a natural complement to the existing financial market indicators. A number of methods for constructing these option-implied PDFs have already been developed in the literature. In general, although these methods might differ in the extremes of the tails of the distribution, there is no major difference in the central section of the estimated option-implied PDFs. And, arguably it is the central section of the option-implied PDFs which is more likely to be useful for monetary policy purposes, in contrast to financial stability analysis, where there may be greater focus on the tails of the distribution. In particular, such option-implied PDFs have not been studied in detail during periods of financial crisis, where arguably they may be the most useful. In general, the methods that have been used to construct and estimate implied densities are "risk-neutral". Hence, they are indifferent regarding the investor behaviour and do not include a risk premium component. Some authors have already extended these methods to create "real-world" option-implied PDFs which incorporate the investor behaviour and take into account the risk premium component. However, there is very little research analysing and comparing the differences between these two densities in the Euribor market and, in particular, around episodes of crisis or monetary policy decisions. By using anon-parametric technique, based on the Bliss and Panigirzoglou methodology, this thesis presents an analysis of PDFs for Euribor outturns in three months’ time, using ”risk-neutral” and ”real-world” option-implied PDFs. This type of analysis allows us to reveal typical market reactions which could be potentially used by central banks as a complement to the already existing tools that allow them to take monetary policy decisions. * A quantitative mirror on the Euribor market using implied probability density functions. Puigvert-Gutiérrez J., de Vincent- Humphreys R. Eurasian Economic Review 2(1), 1-31, Spring 2012. * Interest rate expectations and uncertainty during ECB Go- verning Council days: Evidence from intraday implied den- sities of 3-month Euribor. Vergote O., Puigvert-Gutiérrez J. Journal of Banking and Finance 36 (2012) 2804-2823. * Interest rate forecasts, state price densities and risk premium from Euribor options. Ivanova V., Puigvert-Gutiérrez J. Journal of Banking and Finance 48 (2014) 210-223. The first two articles above have been also published in the ECB Working Paper Series and were additionally peer-reviewed by two anonymous referees.
L'evolució dels tipus d'interès de mercat és un dels components princi-pals del mecanisme de transmissió de la política monetària. Els bancs centrals, els participants del mercat i els professionals de la política monetària recorren a la informació continguda en els preus financers per entendre millor l'evolució dels tipus d'interès de mercat. També és possible obtenir una avaluació completa i quantitativa d' aquestes ca-racterístiques a través de les funcions de densitat de probabilitat (PDFs, per les seves sigles en anglès) implícita en opcions, en particular quan s'apliquen a opcions sobre l'Euribor, la qual cosa constitueix un com-plement natural dels indicadors del mercat financer existents. La literatura recull diversos mètodes per a construir aquestes PDFs implícita basades en opcions. En general, si bé els mètodes poden pre-sentar diferències als extrems de les cues de la distribució, no s' obser-ven diferències significatives a la secció central de les PDFs implícites basades en opcions calculades. I, precisament, es pot afirmar que la secció central de les PDFs implícita basades en opcions és la que pot ser més útil a efectes de la política monetària, al contrari del que passa amb l' anàlisi de l'estabilitat financera, que s' acostuma a fixar més en les cues de la distribució. Concretament, aquestes PDFs implícita basades en opcions no s'han estudiat a fons durant períodes de crisi financera, que és precisament quan podrien resultar més útils. En general, els mètodes que s'han emprat per construir i calcular densitats implícites són «neutrals al risc». Per tant, són indiferents al comportament dels inversors i no inclouen el component de la prima de risc. Alguns autors ja han ampliat aquests mètodes, la qual cosa ha donat lloc a PDFs implícita basades en opcions “de condicions reals”, que incorporen el comportament dels inversors i tenen en compte el component de la prima de risc. No obstant això, hi ha molts pocs estudis que analitzin i comparin les diferències entre aquestes dues densitats en el mercat de l’Euribor i, en particular, en relació amb episodis de crisi o decisions de política monetària. En recórrer a una tècnica no paramètrica, basada en la metodologia de Bliss i Panigirzoglou, aquesta tesi presenta un anàlisi de PDFs per als resultats de l’Euribor a tres mesos, a partir de PDFs implícita basades en opcions “neutrals al risc” i “de condicions reals”. Un anàlisi d’aquestes característiques permet posar de manifest reaccions típiques dels mercats, que els bancs centrals podrien emprar com a complement de les eines de les quals ja disposen per prendre decisions de política monetària. Aquesta tesi consta dels tres articles següents, publicats en revistes internacionals arbitrades: * A quantitative mirror on the Euribor market using implied probability density functions. Puigvert-Gutiérrez J., de Vincent- Humphreys R. Eurasian Economic Review 2(1), 1-31. * Interest rate expectations and uncertainty during ECB Governing Council days: Evidence from intraday implied densities of 3-month Euribor. Vergote O., Puigvert-Gutiérrez J. Jour- nal of Banking and Finance 36 (2012) 2804-2823. * Interest rate forecasts, state price densities and risk premium from Euribor options. Ivanova V., Puigvert-Gutiérrez J. Journal of Banking and Finance 48 (2014) 210-223. Els dos primers s’han publicat també a la ECB Working Paper Series i van ser revisats, a més, per dos avaluadors anònims.

Cette thèse, articulée en trois chapitres, a pour objet d'étudier les interdépendances structurelles entre différents marchés financiers. Dans le Chapitre 1, nous étudions l'architecture des interdépendances entre les principaux marchés européens. En modélisant ces interdépendances par des réseaux dynamiques, nous proposons une nouvelle méthodologie permettant de mesurer, en fonction du temps, les liens directs et indirects reliant chaque paire d'élément au sein d'un système donné. Cette mesure topologique permet d'évaluer la hiérarchie d'un système et son niveau d'organisation, constituant ainsi un proxy de complexité. Notre indice s'appuie sur la définition de la complexité de Simon qui lie la complexité d'un système à son niveau d'organisation hiérarchique. Nous validons la pertinence de notre indice en étudiant empiriquement le lien entre complexité et incertitude. Dans le Chapitre 2, nous étudions l'impact de la globalisation sur l'économie, comme un accroissement des interdépendances dans un panel dynamique de 94 pays, de 1970 à 2011. Notre contribution est d'estimer le seuil endogénéisé de globalisation sur un panel dynamique. Enfin, nous étudions le rôle de l'incertitude économique sur le marché de la dette souveraine: le Chapitre 3 expose l'impact de l'incertitude économique sur le niveau des taux souverains au sein de la zone Euro. Ainsi cette thèse étudie le rôle de la complexité et de l'incertitude sur la structure des interdépendances financières
This PhD dissertation is divided in three chapters, its purpose is to study structural interdependencies between different financial markets. In the Chapter 1, we investigate the architecture of interdependencies between the main European stock markets. Modeling interdependencies as networks, we propose a new methodology allowing to capture the time-varying the role of direct and indirect links between each pair of elements in a given system. This topologic measure asses the hierarchy in a system and its level of organization, constituting so far a proxy of complexity. Our index is based on Simon's definition of complexity: the level of complexity in a given system is related to its level of hierarchical organization. We empirically test our measure of complexity linking its levels with economic uncertainty in Eurozone. In the Chapter 2, we study the impact of globalization on the economy, as an increase of interdependencies in a dynamic panel of 94 countries from 1970 to 2011. our contribution is to estimate an endogeneous threshold of globalization in a dynamic panel. Finally we investigate the role of economic uncertainty on the Eurozone sovereign bond market: the Chapter 3 study the impact of uncertainty on the levels of sovereign yields. To sum up, this PhD dissertation reports our work about the role of complexity and uncertainty on the structure of financial interdependencies

This thesis advances our understanding of financial markets from a game-theoretical perspective. Using tools from auction theory (mechanism design), I show how financial market anomalies arise from the strategic interactions between market speculators in the IPO and short selling markets. In doing so, I highlight how seemingly irrational market phenomena have rational microeconomic foundations and highlight how market designs can inadvertently promote speculative trading behaviours.

This thesis consists of three essays that explore the dynamics of interconnected markets and examine the relationships between markets, investor behavior, and fundamental characteristics of the firm and the economy. In the first essay, we investigate the role of trade credit links in generating cross-border return predictability between international firms. Using data from 43 countries from 1993 to 2009, we find that firms with high trade credit in producer countries have stock returns that are strongly predictable based on the returns of their associated customer countries. This behavior is especially prevalent among firms with high levels of foreign sales. To better understand this effect we develop an asset pricing model in which firms in different countries are connected by trade credit links. The model offers further predictions about this phenomenon, including stronger predictability during periods of high credit constraints and low uninformed trading volume. We find supportive empirical evidence for these predictions. The second essay investigates the dynamics of commodity futures volatility. I derive the variance decomposition for the futures basis to show how unexpected excess returns result from new information about expected future interest rates, convenience yields, and risk premia. Using data on major commodity futures markets and global bilateral commodity trade, I analyze the extent to which commodity volatility is related to fundamental uncertainty arising from increased emerging market demand and macroeconomic uncertainty, and control for the potential impact of financial frictions introduced by changing market structure and index trading. I find that a higher concentration in the emerging market importers of a commodity is associated with higher futures volatility. Commodity futures volatility is significantly predictable using variables capturing macroeconomic uncertainty. The third essay investigates the differential explanatory power of consumer (importing countries) and producer (exporting countries) risk in explaining the volatility of commodity spot premia and term premia using trade-weighted indices of GDP volatility. Using data for major commodity futures markets, bilateral commodity trade, exchange rates, and GDP for countries trading these commodities, I test hypotheses on the heterogeneous impact of consumer and producer shocks, potentially driven by differences in hedging preferences and investment planning horizons. Producer risk is significant for both short-dated and long-dated maturities, while consumer risk has greater explanatory power for the volatility of the term spread.

The proposed book describes the static and dynamic models of optimization of production and financial activities of the enterprise in the conditions of deterministic source data, and taking into account the uncertainty and risk. In the latter case, when choosing a management decision, not only the amount of expected profit, but also various types of risks, as well as such an indicator as the stability of the selected option of production and economic activity to changes in the market environment, are taken into account.

AbstractCompanies issuing stocks through an initial public offering (IPO) are obligated to publish relevant information as part of a prospectus. Besides quantitative figures from accounting, this document also contains qualitative information in the form of text. In this chapter, we analyze how sentiment in the prospectus influences future stock returns. In addition, we investigate the impact of pre-IPO sentiment in financial announcements on first-day returns. The results of our empirical analyses using 572 IPOs from US companies suggest a negative link between words linked to uncertainty and future stock market returns for up to 10 trading days. Conversely, we find that uncertainty expressed in pre-IPO announcements is positively linked to first-day stock returns. These insights have implications for research on IPOs by demonstrating that future stock returns are also driven by textual information from the prospectus and assist investors in placing their orders.

AbstractIn this chapter, the central bank is put aside and we review simple models of financial instability, which will be the basis for the subsequent chapter to explain the role of the central bank as lender of last resort. We first recall that financial instability is mostly triggered by a negative shock on asset prices, and thereby on the solvency of debtors, which in turn worsens access to credit and can set in motion a liquidity crisis with vicious circles. We develop the concepts of solvency “conditional” and “unconditional” on liquidity: a decline in asset prices can lead an unconditionally solvent debtor to become only conditionally solvent, such that sufficient liquidity becomes decisive for preventing its default. We then apply these concepts to the stability of bank funding and introduce the problem of bank runs. We subsequently show why asset liquidity in a dealer market deteriorates during a financial crisis (increased volatility and uncertainty increase the required bid-ask spread); how asymmetric information can lead to a freeze of credit markets in a simple adverse selection model; how declining and more volatile asset prices drive increases of haircut, and how these can force fire sales and defaults of borrowers. We finally discuss the interaction between these various crisis channels.

Japan's low-interest rates made the country's currency the primary funding currency in carry trade speculative strategies. Investors' activity in carry trade strategies has an enormous impact on the foreign exchange market volatility. A large inflow of capital to countries with higher interest rates contributes to their currency appreciation, and, in turn, a large outflow of capital from countries with a low-interest rate leads to a significant depreciation of their currency. However, in times of crisis and high uncertainty in the financial markets, investors massively withdraw from the carry trade. They sell financial assets purchased in a country with higher interest rates and then repay loans taken in a country with low-interest rates. A sudden increase in the supply of a country's currency with higher interest rates leads to its depreciation. On the other hand, the rise in demand for a country's currency with low-interest rates leads to its appreciation. The Japanese yen is one of the most popular funding currency in the carry trade and thus tends to appreciate during crisis periods. The paper aims to investigate the relationship between Japanese yen value and financial market uncertainty measured by the Volatility Index VIX and St. Louis FED Financial Stress Index. Based on the component generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model CGARCH with asymmetric threshold term, it has been shown that the increase in financial markets uncertainty contributes to significant appreciation of the Japanese yen against the US dollar. It implies that the Japanese currency is an example of a safe-haven currency and can be applied to hedge financial stress for global equity investors.

Modern approaches to solving the problem of operational and strategic forecasting of financial results of an enterprise under conditions of uncertainty and risk are considered. The application of mathematical methods to the analysis of financial data under uncertain market development conditions is also discussed.

The fast spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) had negative impacts on financial markets worldwide. It created uncertainty and a lack of confidence, causing unprecedented levels of risk, causing sharp losses to investors in a very short period. In view of these events, this essay aims to investigate the relationship between Covid-19 (confirmed cases and deaths), and the stock market indexes of Greece (ATG), France (CAC40), Germany (DAX 30), United Kingdom (FTSE 100), Italy (FTSE MID), Spain (IBEX 35), Ireland (ISEQ), and Portugal (PSI 20), from December 31st, 2019 to July 23rd, 2020. In order to achieve such an analysis, we want to validate if: the increase in cases and deaths resulting from Covid-19 have any connection with the financial markets under analysis? If so, do these connections cause shocks in European financial markets? The results suggest structure breaks, mostly, in March 2020. Covid-19 data (confirmed cases) integrate with the Covid-19 data series (deaths), with the Spanish market (IBEX 35), Greece (ATG), and Italy (FTSE MID). However, the Covid-19 data series (deaths), is synchronized with the Covid-19 data (confirmed cases), with the markets of Germany (DAX 30), France (CAC 40), Ireland (ISEQ), Italy ( FTSE MID), United Kingdom (FTSE 100) and Portugal (PSI 20), just does not synchronize with the Greek market (ATG). We can easily see that the Covid-19 data series (deaths) has a major impact on Europe's financial markets. The results of the VAR Granger Causality / Block Exogeneity Wald Tests model suggest 2 bidirectional causal relationships between confirmed cases and deaths from the Covid-19 virus. However, there were no shocks between Covid-19 data (confirmed cases and deaths) and the financial markets under analysis. As a final discussion, we consider that investors should avoid investments in the stock exchange, at least while this pandemic lasts, and rebalance their portfolios in hedging and/or sovereign debt assets, to mitigate risk and improve the efficiency of their portfolios.

The new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) evolved quickly from a regional health outbreak to a global collapse, stopping the global economy in a unprecedented way, creating uncertainty and chaos in the financial markets. Based on these events, it is intended in this paper to test the persistence of profitability in the financial markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, in the period between January 2018 to July 2020. In order to perform this analysis where undertaken different approaches in order to analyze if: (i) the financial markets of Latin America are efficient in their weak-form during the global pandemic (Covid-19)? ii) If so, the persistent long memories cause risks between these regional markets? The results suggest that the returns don’t follow the i.i.d. hypothesis, from dimension 2, reinforcing the idea that returns of stock indexes have a non-linear nature or a significant non-linear component, exception made to the Argentina market, which was expected in virtue of the Ljung-Box (with the return squares) test results, and ARCH-LM. Corroborating the exponents Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), indicate the presence of persistent long memories, namely into the following markets: Colombia (0.72), Chile (0.66), Brazil (0.58) and Peru (0.57). The Argentina market does not reject the random walk hypothesis, while the Mexican market suggests some anti-persistence (0.41). This situation has implications for investors, once that some returns can be expected, creating arbitration opportunities and abnormal income, contrary to the supposed from the random walk hypothesis and information efficiency. The t-test results of the heteroscedasticity form the two samples suggest that there is no risk transmission between these regional markets, with the exception to the BOVESPA / BOLSAA MX markets, that is, the existence of persistent long memories in the returns does not imply the risk transmission between markets. These finds allow the creation of strategies of diversification inefficient portfolios. These conclusions also open space for the market regulators to implement measures that guarantee a better informational information of these regional markets.

The new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) evolved quickly from a regional health outbreak to a global collapse, stopping the global economy in a unprecedented way, creating uncertainty and chaos in the financial markets. Based on these events, it is intended in this paper to test the persistence of profitability in the financial markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, in the period between January 2018 to July 2020. In order to perform this analysis where undertaken different approaches in order to analyze if: (i) the financial markets of Latin America are efficient in their weak-form during the global pandemic (Covid-19)? ii) If so, the persistent long memories cause risks between these regional markets? The results suggest that the returns don’t follow the i.i.d. hypothesis, from dimension 2, reinforcing the idea that returns of stock indexes have a non-linear nature or a significant non-linear component, exception made to the Argentina market, which was expected in virtue of the Ljung-Box (with the return squares) test results, and ARCH-LM. Corroborating the exponents Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), indicate the presence of persistent long memories, namely into the following markets: Colombia (0.72), Chile (0.66), Brazil (0.58) and Peru (0.57). The Argentina market does not reject the random walk hypothesis, while the Mexican market suggests some anti-persistence (0.41). This situation has implications for investors, once that some returns can be expected, creating arbitration opportunities and abnormal income, contrary to the supposed from the random walk hypothesis and information efficiency. The t-test results of the heteroscedasticity form the two samples suggest that there is no risk transmission between these regional markets, with the exception to the BOVESPA / BOLSAA MX markets, that is, the existence of persistent long memories in the returns does not imply the risk transmission between markets. These finds allow the creation of strategies of diversification inefficient portfolios. These conclusions also open space for the market regulators to implement measures that guarantee a better informational information of these regional markets.

Predicting the price movement of finance securities like stocks is an important but challenging task, due to the uncertainty of financial markets. In this paper, we propose a novel approach based on the Transformer to tackle the stock movement prediction task. Furthermore, we present several enhancements for the proposed basic Transformer. Firstly, we propose a Multi-Scale Gaussian Prior to enhance the locality of Transformer. Secondly, we develop an Orthogonal Regularization to avoid learning redundant heads in the multi-head self-attention mechanism. Thirdly, we design a Trading Gap Splitter for Transformer to learn hierarchical features of high-frequency finance data. Compared with other popular recurrent neural networks such as LSTM, the proposed method has the advantage to mine extremely long-term dependencies from financial time series. Experimental results show our proposed models outperform several competitive methods in stock price prediction tasks for the NASDAQ exchange market and the China A-shares market.

Higher natural gas prices have increased the importance of coal-fired generation at a time when environmental uncertainty is raising the risks of operating coal-fired units. The likely need for increased investment in environmental control technologies comes at a time when many electricity generators are under great financial stress. This combination of forces makes a structured and comprehensive approach to assessing compliance strategies essential to managing generating assets. The approach needs to incorporate the high degree of uncertainty that can be otherwise buried in key assumptions, such as regulatory requirements, market pricing of allowances, plant capacity factor, wholesale electric prices, etc. The approach should also facilitate testing of assumptions under a range of scenarios to allow for flexibility in possible compliance strategies. In this paper an approach for evaluating compliance risks and quantifying the potential costs under various scenarios will be described. The approach integrates market-based compliance mechanisms with capital improvements in control technology while providing methods to address the uncertainty of key assumptions. The approach facilitates optimizing the balance between market-based and technology-based compliance approaches so that the environmental compliance risk profile can be tailored to the specific situation. A unique feature of this approach is that it incorporates the effects of the market risk associated with emissions markets along with market derivative instruments designed to manage risk, while also incorporating comprehensive technology analysis so that costs and risks can be well quantified under any regulatory scenario. The approach lends itself to active scenario review to facilitate flexibility in decision making while avoiding premature commitments.

With the beginning of the global financial crisis, which attracts the attention of the international community, the inability of existing methods to predict the events became obvious. Creation, testing, adaptation of the models to the concrete financial market segments for the purpose of monitoring, early prediction, prevention and notification of financial crises is gaining currency nowadays. Econophysics is an interdisciplinary research field, applying theories and methods originally developed by physicists in order to solve problems in economics, usually those including uncertainty or stochastic processes and nonlinear dynamics. Its application to the study of financial markets has also been termed statistical finance referring to its roots in statistical physics. The new paradigm of relativistic quantum econophysics is proposed.

It finds that financial uncertainty has a significant negative effect on corporate investment and the effects are mixed across firms of different sizes. Small firms and large firms are more exposed to the negative uncertainty effects than medium-sized firms. Financial constraints and investment irreversibility amplify the negative effects of uncertainty. Small and medium-sized firms are more financially constrained and large firms’ investments are more irreversible in nature. The authors suggest that policies target the development of capital markets and bond markets for small and medium-sized firms and focus on competitiveness, not protection.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle is one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics. The modern version of the uncertainty principle, deals not with the precision of a measurement and the disturbance it introduces, but with the intrinsic uncertainty any quantum state must possess, regardless of what measurement is performed. Recently, the study of uncertainty relations in general has been a topic of growing interest, specifically in the setting of quantum information and quantum cryptography, where it is fundamental to the security of certain protocols. The aim of this study is to analyze the concepts and fundamental physical constants in terms of achievements of modern theoretical physics, they search for adequate and useful analogues in the socio-economic phenomena and processes, and their possible use in early warning of adverse crisis in financial markets. The instability of global financial systems depending on ordinary and natural disturbances in modern markets and highly undesirable financial crises are the evidence of methodological crisis in modelling, predicting and interpretation of current socio-economic conditions.

We examine real and financial spillovers to safe haven financial flow destinations due to risk-off shocks in global financial markets. Using country-specific structural vector autoregression models over the period 1990 to 2021, we show that dynamics for Japan appear to be different to those of Switzerland and the United States in four main ways. First, in response to risk-off episodes over the estimation period, the yen real effective exchange rate appreciates sharply and significantly, with the effect persisting over time. Second, no significant effects on portfolio flows to Japan are found, in spite of the exchange rate effects, suggesting a rapid adjustment of financial markets to shifts in equilibrium exchange rates. Third, negative real spillovers from risk-off shocks appear to only apply to Japan with exchange rate appreciation exacerbating declines in GDP growth. Fourth, risk-off shocks do not have a statistically significant effect on domestic economic policy uncertainty in Japan, which may be related to the strong expectations priced in of overseas portfolio holdings repatriated back to Japan. Our findings have important implications for policy makers in safe haven destinations in managing domestic financial vulnerabilities associated with risk-off episodes.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.

In the second quarter of 2021, rising COVID-19 cases have cast a shadow over emerging East Asia's growth outlook. Yet the region's financial conditions remain broadly stable amid accommodative monetary policy stances despite some weakening signs. Local currency (LCY) bond markets in emerging East Asia expanded to $21.1 trillion at the end of June, as governments tapped LCY bonds to support recovery measures and contain the negative impact of rising COVID-19 cases. The ASEAN+3 sustainable bond market expanded to $345.2 billion at the end of Q2 2021, accounting for nearly 19% of the global sustainable bond market. The risk to the outlook for regional financial markets remains tilted to the downside. Uncertainty over recovery prospects due to COVID-19, combined with a strong US economic rebound and possible earlier-than-expected monetary policy normalization in the US, could lead to further weakening of financial conditions. This issue of the Asia Bond Monitor features special boxes on emerging East Asia’s economic outlook, market capacity and central banks’ asset purchasing programs, debt build-up, and social risk in developing Asia.

The Colombian financial system has not suffered major structural disruptions during these months of deep economic contraction and has continued to carry out its basic functions as usual, thus facilitating the economy's response to extreme conditions. This is the result of the soundness of financial institutions at the beginning of the crisis, which was reflected in high liquidity and capital adequacy indicators as well as in the timely response of various authorities. Banco de la República lowered its policy interest rates 250 points to 1.75%, the lowest level since the creation of the new independent bank in 1991, and provided ample temporary and permanent liquidity in both pesos and foreign currency. The Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia, in turn, adopted prudential measures to facilitate changes in the conditions for loans in effect and temporary rules for rating and loan-loss provisions. Finally, the national government expanded the transfers as well as the guaranteed credit programs for the economy. The supply of real credit (i.e. discounting inflation) in the economy is 4% higher today than it was 12 months ago with especially marked growth in the housing (5.6%) and commercial (4.7%) loan portfolios (2.3% in consumer and -0.1% in microloans), but there have been significant changes over time. During the first few months of the quarantine, firms increased their demands for liquidity sharply while consumers reduced theirs. Since then, the growth of credit to firms has tended to slow down, while consumer and housing credit has grown. The financial system has responded satisfactorily to the changes in the respective demands of each group or sector and loans may grow at high rates in 2021 if GDP grows at rates close to 4.6% as the technical staff at the Bank expects; but the forecasts are highly uncertain. After the strict quarantine implemented by authorities in Colombia, the turmoil seen in March and early April, which was evident in the sudden reddening of macroeconomic variables on the risk heatmap in Graph A,[1] and the drop in crude oil and coal prices (note the high volatility registered in market risk for the region on Graph A) the local financial markets stabilized relatively quickly. Banco de la República’s credible and sustained policy response played a decisive role in this stabilization in terms of liquidity provision through a sharp expansion of repo operations (and changes in amounts, terms, counterparties, and eligible instruments), the purchases of public and private debt, and the reduction in bank reserve requirements. In this respect, there is now abundant aggregate liquidity and significant improvements in the liquidity position of investment funds. In this context, the main vulnerability factor for financial stability in the short term is still the high degree of uncertainty surrounding loan quality. First, the future trajectory of the number of people infected and deceased by the virus and the possible need for additional health measures is uncertain. For that reason, there is also uncertainty about the path for economic recovery in the short and medium term. Second, the degree to which the current shock will be reflected in loan quality once the risk materializes in banks’ financial statements is uncertain. For the time being, the credit risk heatmap (Graph B) indicates that non-performing and risky loans have not shown major deterioration, but past experience indicates that periods of sharp economic slowdown eventually tend to coincide with rises in non-performing loans: the calculations included in this report suggest that the impact of the recession on credit quality could be significant in the short term. This is particularly worrying since the profitability of credit establishments has been declining in recent months, and this could affect their ability to provide credit to the real sector of the economy. In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to this vulnerability, this Report presents several stress tests that evaluate the resilience of the liquidity and capital adequacy of credit institutions and investment funds in the event of a hypothetical scenario that seeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The results suggest that even though there could be strong impacts on the credit institutions’ volume of credit and profitability under such scenarios, aggregate indicators of total and core capital adequacy will probably remain at levels that are above the regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. At the same time, the exercises highlight the high capacity of the system's liquidity to face adverse scenarios. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system's security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth operation of the payment systems. Juan José Echavarría Governor

In the face of the multiple shocks currently experienced by the domestic economy (resulting from the drop in oil prices and the appearance of a global pandemic), the Colombian financial system is in a position of sound solvency and adequate liquidity. At the same time, credit quality has been recovering and the exposure of credit institutions to firms with currency mismatches has declined relative to previous episodes of sudden drops in oil prices. These trends are reflected in the recent fading of red and blue tonalities in the performance and credit risk segments of the risk heatmaps in Graphs A and B.1 Naturally, the sudden, unanticipated change in macroeconomic conditions has caused the appearance of vulnerabilities for short-term financial stability. These vulnerabilities require close and continuous monitoring on the part of economic authorities. The main vulnerability is the response of credit and credit risk to a potential, temporarily extreme macroeconomic situation in the context of: (i) recently increased exposure of some banks to household sector, and (ii) reductions in net interest income that have led to a decline in the profitability of the banking business in the recent past. Furthermore, as a consequence of greater uncertainty and risk aversion, occasional problems may arise in the distribution of liquidity between agents and financial markets. With regards to local markets, spikes have been registered in the volatility of public and private fixed income securities in recent weeks that are consistent with the behavior of the international markets and have had a significant impact on the liquidity of those instruments (red portions in the most recent past of some market risk items on the map in Graph A). In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to those vulnerabilities, this Report presents a stress test that evaluates the resilience of credit institutions in the event of a hypothetical scenario thatseeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The scenario assumes a hypothetical negative growth that is temporarily strong but recovers going into the middle of the coming year and has extreme effects on credit quality. The results suggest that credit institutions have the ability to withstand a significant deterioration in economic conditions in the short term. Even though there could be a strong impact on credit, liquidity, and profitability under the scenario being considered, aggregate capital ratios would probably remain at above their regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. In this context, the recent measures taken by both Banco de la República and the Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia that are intended to help preserve the financial stability of the Colombian economy become highly relevant. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system’s security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth functioning of the payment system. Juan José Echavarría Governor

Macroeconomic summary Several factors contributed to an increase in projected inflation on the forecast horizon, keeping it above the target rate. These included inflation in December that surpassed expectations (5.62%), indexation to higher inflation rates for various baskets in the consumer price index (CPI), a significant real increase in the legal minimum wage, persistent external and domestic inflationary supply shocks, and heightened exchange rate pressures. The CPI for foods was affected by the persistence of external and domestic supply shocks and was the most significant contributor to unexpectedly high inflation in the fourth quarter. Price adjustments for fuels and certain utilities can explain the acceleration in inflation for regulated items, which was more significant than anticipated. Prices in the CPI for goods excluding food and regulated items also rose more than expected. This was partly due to a smaller effect on prices from the national government’s VAT-free day than anticipated by the technical staff and more persistent external pressures, including via peso depreciation. By contrast, the CPI for services excluding food and regulated items accelerated less than expected, partly reflecting strong competition in the communications sector. This was the only major CPI basket for which prices increased below the target inflation rate. The technical staff revised its inflation forecast upward in response to certain external shocks (prices, costs, and depreciation) and domestic shocks (e.g., on meat products) that were stronger and more persistent than anticipated in the previous report. Observed inflation and a real increase in the legal minimum wage also exceeded expectations, which would boost inflation by affecting price indexation, labor costs, and inflation expectations. The technical staff now expects year-end headline inflation of 4.3% in 2022 and 3.4% in 2023; core inflation is projected to be 4.5% and 3.6%, respectively. These forecasts consider the lapse of certain price relief measures associated with the COVID-19 health emergency, which would contribute to temporarily keeping inflation above the target on the forecast horizon. It is important to note that these estimates continue to contain a significant degree of uncertainty, mainly related to the development of external and domestic supply shocks and their ultimate effects on prices. Other contributing factors include high price volatility and measurement uncertainty related to the extension of Colombia’s health emergency and tax relief measures (such as the VAT-free days) associated with the Social Investment Law (Ley de Inversión Social). The as-yet uncertain magnitude of the effects of a recent real increase in the legal minimum wage (that was high by historical standards) and high observed and expected inflation, are additional factors weighing on the overall uncertainty of the estimates in this report. The size of excess productive capacity remaining in the economy and the degree to which it is closing are also uncertain, as the evolution of the pandemic continues to represent a significant forecast risk. margin, could be less dynamic than expected. And the normalization of monetary policy in the United States could come more quickly than projected in this report, which could negatively affect international financing costs. Finally, there remains a significant degree of uncertainty related to the duration of supply chocks and the degree to which macroeconomic and political conditions could negatively affect the recovery in investment. The technical staff revised its GDP growth projection for 2022 from 4.7% to 4.3% (Graph 1.3). This revision accounts for the likelihood that a larger portion of the recent positive dynamic in private consumption would be transitory than previously expected. This estimate also contemplates less dynamic investment behavior than forecast in the previous report amid less favorable financial conditions and a highly uncertain investment environment. Third-quarter GDP growth (12.9%), which was similar to projections from the October report, and the fourth-quarter growth forecast (8.7%) reflect a positive consumption trend, which has been revised upward. This dynamic has been driven by both public and private spending. Investment growth, meanwhile, has been weaker than forecast. Available fourth-quarter data suggest that consumption spending for the period would have exceeded estimates from October, thanks to three consecutive months that included VAT-free days, a relatively low COVID-19 caseload, and mobility indicators similar to their pre-pandemic levels. By contrast, the most recently available figures on new housing developments and machinery and equipment imports suggest that investment, while continuing to rise, is growing at a slower rate than anticipated in the previous report. The trade deficit is expected to have widened, as imports would have grown at a high level and outpaced exports. Given the above, the technical staff now expects fourth-quarter economic growth of 8.7%, with overall growth for 2021 of 9.9%. Several factors should continue to contribute to output recovery in 2022, though some of these may be less significant than previously forecast. International financial conditions are expected to be less favorable, though external demand should continue to recover and terms of trade continue to increase amid higher projected oil prices. Lower unemployment rates and subsequent positive effects on household income, despite increased inflation, would also boost output recovery, as would progress in the national vaccination campaign. The technical staff expects that the conditions that have favored recent high levels of consumption would be, in large part, transitory. Consumption spending is expected to grow at a slower rate in 2022. Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) would continue to recover, approaching its pre-pandemic level, though at a slower rate than anticipated in the previous report. This would be due to lower observed GFCF levels and the potential impact of political and fiscal uncertainty. Meanwhile, the policy interest rate would be less expansionary as the process of monetary policy normalization continues. Given the above, growth in 2022 is forecast to decelerate to 4.3% (previously 4.7%). In 2023, that figure (3.1%) is projected to converge to levels closer to the potential growth rate. In this case, excess productive capacity would be expected to tighten at a similar rate as projected in the previous report. The trade deficit would tighten more than previously projected on the forecast horizon, due to expectations of an improved export dynamic and moderation in imports. The growth forecast for 2022 considers a low basis of comparison from the first half of 2021. However, there remain significant downside risks to this forecast. The current projection does not, for example, account for any additional effects on economic activity resulting from further waves of COVID-19. High private consumption levels, which have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels by a large margin, could be less dynamic than expected. And the normalization of monetary policy in the United States could come more quickly than projected in this report, which could negatively affect international financing costs. Finally, there remains a significant degree of uncertainty related to the duration of supply chocks and the degree to which macroeconomic and political conditions could negatively affect the recovery in investment. External demand for Colombian goods and services should continue to recover amid significant global inflation pressures, high oil prices, and less favorable international financial conditions than those estimated in October. Economic activity among Colombia’s major trade partners recovered in 2021 amid countries reopening and ample international liquidity. However, that growth has been somewhat restricted by global supply chain disruptions and new outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff has revised its growth forecast for Colombia’s main trade partners from 6.3% to 6.9% for 2021, and from 3.4% to 3.3% for 2022; trade partner economies are expected to grow 2.6% in 2023. Colombia’s annual terms of trade increased in 2021, largely on higher oil, coffee, and coal prices. This improvement came despite increased prices for goods and services imports. The expected oil price trajectory has been revised upward, partly to supply restrictions and lagging investment in the sector that would offset reduced growth forecasts in some major economies. Elevated freight and raw materials costs and supply chain disruptions continue to affect global goods production, and have led to increases in global prices. Coupled with the recovery in global demand, this has put upward pressure on external inflation. Several emerging market economies have continued to normalize monetary policy in this context. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Federal Reserve has anticipated an end to its asset buying program. U.S. inflation in December (7.0%) was again surprisingly high and market average inflation forecasts for 2022 have increased. The Fed is expected to increase its policy rate during the first quarter of 2022, with quarterly increases anticipated over the rest of the year. For its part, Colombia’s sovereign risk premium has increased and is forecast to remain on a higher path, to levels above the 15-year-average, on the forecast horizon. This would be partly due to the effects of a less expansionary monetary policy in the United States and the accumulation of macroeconomic imbalances in Colombia. Given the above, international financial conditions are projected to be less favorable than anticipated in the October report. The increase in Colombia’s external financing costs could be more significant if upward pressures on inflation in the United States persist and monetary policy is normalized more quickly than contemplated in this report. As detailed in Section 2.3, uncertainty surrounding international financial conditions continues to be unusually high. Along with other considerations, recent concerns over the potential effects of new COVID-19 variants, the persistence of global supply chain disruptions, energy crises in certain countries, growing geopolitical tensions, and a more significant deceleration in China are all factors underlying this uncertainty. The changing macroeconomic environment toward greater inflation and unanchoring risks on inflation expectations imply a reduction in the space available for monetary policy stimulus. Recovery in domestic demand and a reduction in excess productive capacity have come in line with the technical staff’s expectations from the October report. Some upside risks to inflation have materialized, while medium-term inflation expectations have increased and are above the 3% target. Monetary policy remains expansionary. Significant global inflationary pressures and the unexpected increase in the CPI in December point to more persistent effects from recent supply shocks. Core inflation is trending upward, but remains below the 3% target. Headline and core inflation projections have increased on the forecast horizon and are above the target rate through the end of 2023. Meanwhile, the expected dynamism of domestic demand would be in line with low levels of excess productive capacity. An accumulation of macroeconomic imbalances in Colombia and the increased likelihood of a faster normalization of monetary policy in the United States would put upward pressure on sovereign risk perceptions in a more persistent manner, with implications for the exchange rate and the natural rate of interest. Persistent disruptions to international supply chains, a high real increase in the legal minimum wage, and the indexation of various baskets in the CPI to higher inflation rates could affect price expectations and push inflation above the target more persistently. These factors suggest that the space to maintain monetary stimulus has continued to diminish, though monetary policy remains expansionary. 1.2 Monetary policy decision Banco de la República’s board of directors (BDBR) in its meetings in December 2021 and January 2022 voted to continue normalizing monetary policy. The BDBR voted by a majority in these two meetings to increase the benchmark interest rate by 50 and 100 basis points, respectively, bringing the policy rate to 4.0%.