The Impact of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on the Implementation of Monetary Policy
This paper analyses the impact of the short‐term component of the new Basel III liquidity standards, namely the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), on the implementation of monetary policy in the euro area. It employs a conceptual framework to investigate the interaction between the money market and monetary policy implementation. Based thereon, it argues that the isolated focus on the impact on the LCR tends to underestimate the future challenges to monetary policy implementation for two reasons: first, feedback and network dynamics exacerbate the impact of the standard; second, the ongoing crisis itself challenges monetary policy implementation in the euro area by its impact on the (perceived) arbitrage relationship between open market operations and the unsecured money market. The paper concludes by discussing potential policy reactions concerning both, the calibration of the LCR and the framework for monetary policy implementation.
The Impact of the LCR on the Interbank Money Market
Abstract: This paper analyses the impact of the Basel 3 Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on the unsecured interbank money market and therefore on the implementation of monetary policy. Combining two unique datasets, we show that banks which are just above/below their short-term regulatory liquidity requirement pay and charge higher interest rates for unsecured interbank loans. The effect is larger for longer maturities and increases after the failure of Lehman Brothers. During a crisis, being close to the minimum liquidity requirement induces banks to decrease lending volumes. Given the high importance of a well-functioning interbank money market, our results suggest that the current design of the LCR is likely to dampen the effectiveness of monetary policy.
Self-assembly of pyridinium-tailored anthracene amphiphiles into supramolecular hydrogels.
The mixing of a polyacid cross-linker with a pyridinium-functionalized anthracene amphiphile afforded a supramolecular hydrogel through a self-assembly process that was primarily driven by π-stacking and electrostatic interactions.