Role of Credit in Equity Market Booms and Busts

Widespread financial distress typically arises from the unwinding of financial imbalances that build up disguised by benign economic conditions. This paper studies whether credit is a pertinent indicator of future equity price booms, and thus provides a signal for potential financial instability. Our analysis shows that excess credit does increase the probability of an equity price boom ahead. We argue that a policy response worthy of consideration would be a strengthening of the system-wide focus of the prudential framework coupled with monetary policy rules that take into account occasional development of financial imbalances to prevent potentially significant financial strains from developing. To this end, greater co-operation between monetary and prudential authorities is important, not just in managing crises, but also in preventing their emergence.