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Promoting Liquidity: Why and How?

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Author Info
Jonathan Kearns (Reserve Bank of Australia)
Philip Lowe (Reserve Bank of Australia)

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Abstract

As recent experience all too clearly demonstrates, liquid markets do not exist for all financial assets at all times. In some respects, this can be thought of as a market failure. This paper addresses how best to promote asset market liquidity given this market failure, and the appropriate balance between the private and public sectors in establishing arrangements for dealing with liquidity problems. There are three main conclusions. First, improvements in the financial infrastructure – including arrangements for disclosure and post-trade processing – have a role to play in limiting the sharp rise in information asymmetries that can occur when conditions in financial markets are strained and at turning points in the financial cycle. Second, recent events have shown up shortcomings in the way that financial institutions manage their own liquidity, and these shortcomings need addressing. Third, it may be welfare-improving for the public sector to provide liquidity services when liquidity is strained. The central bank can smooth liquidity over the cycle, and the public sector can facilitate the change of ownership of assets from a troubled institution, which in extremis may include the public sector buying assets outright. If the public sector does actively provide liquidity services, then arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that the potential welfare gains from doing so are not undermined by financial institutions taking on greater risk than is warranted.

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Paper provided by Reserve Bank of Australia in its series RBA Research Discussion Papers with number rdp2008-06.

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Date of creation: Oct 2008
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Handle: RePEc:rba:rbardp:rdp2008-06

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Related research
Keywords: asset market liquidity; central bank market operations; lender of last resort;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Mortgages
G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Chris Becker & Michael Sinclair, 2004. "Profitability of Reserve Bank Foreign Exchange Operations: Twenty Years After The Float," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2004-06, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  2. Bryan Fitz-Gibbon & Marianne Gizycki, 2001. "A History of Last-resort Lending and Other Support for Troubled Financial Institutions in Australia," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2001-07, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  3. Claudio Borio, 2007. "Change and Constancy in the Financial System: Implications for Financial Distress and Policy," RBA Annual Conference Volume, in: Christopher Kent & Jeremy Lawson (ed.), The Structure and Resilience of the Financial System Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  4. Franklin Allen & Elena Carletti, 2007. "Banks, Markets and Liquidity," RBA Annual Conference Volume, in: Christopher Kent & Jeremy Lawson (ed.), The Structure and Resilience of the Financial System Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  5. Elisabeth Ledrut & Christian Upper, 2007. "Changing post-trading arrangements for OTC derivatives," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, December. [Downloadable!]
  6. Franklin Allen & Douglas Gale, 2004. "Financial Intermediaries and Markets," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 72(4), pages 1023-1061, 07. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Claudio Borio & William Nelson, 2008. "Monetary operations and the financial turmoil," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, March. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-9.

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