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Measuring financial soundness around the world: A machine learning approach

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  • Bitetto, Alessandro
  • Cerchiello, Paola
  • Mertzanis, Charilaos

Abstract

We use a fully data-driven approach and information provided by the IMF’s financial soundness indicators to measure the condition of a country’s financial system around the world. Given the nature of the measurement problem, we apply different versions of principal component analysis (PCA) to deal with the presence of strong cross-sectional and time dependence in the data due to unobserved common factors. Using this comprehensive sample and various statistical methods, we produce an alternative data-driven measure of financial soundness that provides policy makers and financial institutions with a monitoring and policy tool that is easy to implement and update. We validate our index by using alternative macroeconomic factors, confirming its predictive power. Our index captures important aspects of financial intermediation around the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Bitetto, Alessandro & Cerchiello, Paola & Mertzanis, Charilaos, 2023. "Measuring financial soundness around the world: A machine learning approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:85:y:2023:i:c:s105752192200401x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102451
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial soundness; Data-driven; Cross-country; Policy framework; Principal Component Analysis; Random Forest;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy
    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration

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