Measures of Investor and Consumer Confidence and Policy Actions in the Current Crisis
The current financial crisis has highlighted the danger that declines in confidence can have a self-fulfilling effect on economic activity. In this paper, the authors consider ways of measuring investor and consumer confidence, and try to explain t...
Main Authors: | , |
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Language: | English |
Published: |
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090720145703 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4198 |
Summary: | The current financial crisis has
highlighted the danger that declines in confidence can have
a self-fulfilling effect on economic activity. In this
paper, the authors consider ways of measuring investor and
consumer confidence, and try to explain the evolution of
confidence using measures of financial volatility,
investment performance, macroeconomic outcomes, and policy
actions. They identify a link between investor and consumer
confidence. Finally, they show that liquidity provision and
easing of interest rates had only a limited effect on
financial market spreads during the crisis, arguing for
additional measures to address the loss of confidence. The
paper focuses on the need for financial regulatory reform,
and shows how the incentives to cooperate in this area are
stimulated by a common shock to confidence. |
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