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Deleveraging: Challenges, Progress and Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Romain Bouis

    (OECD)

  • Ane Kathrine Christensen

    (OECD)

  • Boris Cournède

    (OECD)

Abstract

In the run-up to the financial crisis, indebtedness of households and non-financial businesses rose to historically high levels in many OECD countries; gross debt of financial companies rose dramatically relative to GDP. Much of the debt accumulation appears to have been based on excessive risk-taking and exceptional macro-economic conditions and therefore not sustainable. Since the start of the crisis, non-financial private sector debt has receded substantially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Other OECD countries have not experienced significant debt reduction but already achieved some adjustment in terms of private saving and investment (with the seeming contradiction between these two observations explained by the private sector accumulating gross financial assets at a faster pace). Some macro-economic risks related to future household deleveraging nevertheless remain in a few OECD countries where indebtedness has risen in recent years. In the financial sector, possible future deleveraging will be more damaging to growth if it involves reducing assets rather than retaining (or raising) equity. To speed up the deleveraging process and minimising its impact on prosperity, bad loans should be recognised swiftly, losses taken, insolvent banks wound down orderly and capital shortfalls plugged at still solvent banks. Désendettement: enjeux, progrès et politiques économiques Dans la période qui a précédé la crise, l’endettement des ménages et des entreprises non financières a augmenté jusqu’à des niveaux historiquement élevés dans de nombreux pays de l’OCDE. La dette brute des entreprises financières s’est accrue de manière spectaculaire par rapport au PIB. Une grande part de cet endettement, qui semble avoir été la contrepartie d’une prise de risque excessive dans un environnement macro-économique exceptionnellement favorable, ne paraît pas soutenable. Depuis le commencement de la crise, la dette du secteur privé non financier a reculé aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni. Aucune réduction significative de l’endettement n’a été observée dans plusieurs autres pays de l’OCDE qui ont toutefois effectué une part d’ajustement en termes d’épargne privée et d’investissement immobilier. La contradiction apparente entre ces deux observations s’explique dans ces pays par une accélération de l’acquisition d’actifs financiers bruts par le secteur privé. La possibilité d’un désendettement des ménages continue néanmoins de faire peser un risque macroéconomique sur certains pays de l’OCDE qui ont connu une augmentation de l’endettement au cours des dernières années. S’agissant du secteur financier, une éventuelle baisse du ratio d’endettement sera plus dommageable à la croissance si elle se produit au moyen de réductions d’actifs plutôt que par l’accumulation de capital. Afin d’accélérer le processus de réduction de l’effet de levier et de réduire ses conséquences défavorables pour la prospérité économique, il convient d’identifier rapidement les prêts improductifs, de comptabiliser les pertes qui leur sont associées, de liquider les banques non solvables et de combler les besoins en capital des banques qui demeurent solvables.

Suggested Citation

  • Romain Bouis & Ane Kathrine Christensen & Boris Cournède, 2013. "Deleveraging: Challenges, Progress and Policies," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1077, OECD Publishing.
  • Handle: RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:1077-en
    DOI: 10.1787/5k4221459fjc-en
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    1. Vratislav Izák, 2015. "Soukromý a veřejný dluh [Private and Public Debt]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(1), pages 74-90.
    2. Douglas Sutherland & Peter Hoeller & Rossana Merola & Volker Ziemann, 2012. "Debt and Macroeconomic Stability," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1003, OECD Publishing.
    3. Vratislav Izák, 2014. "Private and Public Debt," European Financial and Accounting Journal, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2014(1), pages 4-21.
    4. Christophe André, 2016. "Household debt in OECD countries: stylised facts and policy issues," Chapters from NBP Conference Publications, in: Hanna Augustyniak & Jacek Łaszek & Krzysztof Olszewski & Joanna Waszczuk (ed.), Papers presented during the Narodowy Bank Polski Workshop: Recent trends in the real estate market and its analysis - 2015 edition, chapter 2, pages v1, 33-85, Narodowy Bank Polski.
    5. Zhimin Zhang & Xin Kai, 2021. "A Study on China’s Deleveraging and Financial Stability Under the Background of Financial Globalization," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(8), pages 1-8, August.
    6. Vratislav Izák, 2016. "Podnikový sektor - vybrané aspekty empirické analýzy zemí Evropské unie [Corporate Sector-Selected Aspects of Empirical Analysis of the EU Member States]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2016(2), pages 161-175.
    7. Boris Cournède & Oliver Denk & Peter Hoeller, 2015. "Finance and Inclusive Growth," OECD Economic Policy Papers 14, OECD Publishing.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    crédits en souffrance; deleveraging; dette des entreprises non financières; dette du secteur des entreprises financières; financial regulation; financial sector debt; household debt; household saving; housing prices; investissement immobilier résidentiel; non-financial corporation debt; non-performing loans; prix de l'immobilier d'habitation; prix des logements; prêts non productifs; residential investment; réduction de l’effet de levier; épargne des ménages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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