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Banks’ Interest Rate Risk and Search for Yield: A Theoretical Rationale and Some Empirical Evidence

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  • Memmel Christoph
  • Seymen Atılım

    (Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt, Germany)

  • Teichert Max

    (Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany)

Abstract

We investigate German banks’ exposure to interest rate risk. In finance, higher demand for a risky asset is typically associated with higher expected return. However, employing a utility function which implies both risk-averse and risk-seeking behavior depending on the level of profits, we show that this relationship may get weaker and even change its sign at low profit levels. For the period 2005-14, we find not only the common positive relationship of higher expected returns and rising interest rate exposure but also that this relationship does become weaker with falling operative income, its sign eventually changing.

Suggested Citation

  • Memmel Christoph & Seymen Atılım & Teichert Max, 2018. "Banks’ Interest Rate Risk and Search for Yield: A Theoretical Rationale and Some Empirical Evidence," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 19(3), pages 330-350, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:germec:v:19:y:2018:i:3:p:330-350
    DOI: 10.1111/geer.12131
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    Cited by:

    1. Claußen, Catharina & Platte, Daniel, 2023. "Evaluating the validity of regulatory interest rate risk measures – a simulation approach," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    2. Ramona Busch & Helge C. N. Littke & Christoph Memmel & Simon Niederauer, 2022. "German banks’ behavior in the low interest rate environment," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 36(3), pages 267-296, September.
    3. Oshima, Katsuhiro, 2020. "Search for yield and business cycles," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    4. Schmidhammer, Christoph & Hille, Vanessa & Wiedemann, Arnd, 2020. "Performance of maturity transformation strategies," Discussion Papers 58/2020, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    5. Katsuhiro Oshima, 2017. "Search-for-Yield and Business Cycles," KIER Working Papers 962, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    6. Cerrone, Rosaria & Cocozza, Rosa & Curcio, Domenico & Gianfrancesco, Igor, 2017. "Does prudential regulation contribute to effective measurement and management of interest rate risk? Evidence from Italian banks," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 126-138.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Banks’ risk taking; exposure to interest rate risk; low interest rate environment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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