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The safe asset potential of EU-issued bonds

Author

Listed:
  • Bletzinger, Tilman
  • Greif, William
  • Schwaab, Bernd

Abstract

A safe asset is of high credit quality, retains its value in bad times and is traded in liquid markets. We show that bonds issued by the European Union (EU) are widely considered to be of high credit quality, and that their yield spread over German Bunds remained contained during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic recession. Recent issuances under the EU’s SURE and NGEU initiatives helped improve EU bonds' market liquidity from previously low levels, also reducing liquidity risk premia. Eurosystem purchases and holdings of EU bonds did not impair market liquidity. Currently, one obstacle to EU bonds achieving a genuine euro-denominated safe asset status, approaching that of Bunds, lies in the one-off, time-limited nature of the EU’s COVID-19-related policy responses. JEL Classification: G12, H63

Suggested Citation

  • Bletzinger, Tilman & Greif, William & Schwaab, Bernd, 2023. "The safe asset potential of EU-issued bonds," Research Bulletin, European Central Bank, vol. 103.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbrbu:2023:0103:
    Note: 2652553
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gossé Jean-Baptiste, & Anass Mourjane., 2021. "A European safe asset: new perspectives [Actif sûr européen : nouvelles perspectives]," Bulletin de la Banque de France, Banque de France, issue 234.
    2. Markus K. Brunnermeier & Sam Langfield & Marco Pagano & Ricardo Reis & Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh & Dimitri Vayanos, 2017. "ESBies: safety in the tranches," Economic Policy, CEPR;CES;MSH, vol. 32(90), pages 175-219.
    3. Gorton, Gary & Ordoñez, Guillermo, 2022. "The supply and demand for safe assets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 132-147.
    4. Leonello, Agnese, 2018. "Government guarantees and the two-way feedback between banking and sovereign debt crises," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 592-619.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rodríguez-Vives Marta, 2023. "Towards a Common EU Debt: Where Do We Stand?," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Sciendo, vol. 58(6), pages 305-310, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    EU-issued bonds; European Union; NextGenerationEU (NGEU); safe assets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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