Current economic developments

Post n°186

Large enterprises’ investment in times of crisis

Published on 10/20/2020

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By Anne Duquerroy and Clément Mazet-Sonilhac

Preserving companies' investment capacity as they emerge from the Covid-19 crisis is a key issue of economic policy, as shown by the emergency measures taken by the ECB and, in France, by the government. Indeed, access to external financing is a major determinant of investment. A financing shock, such as the 2008 crisis, could lead to a sharp decline in the investment rate of major French groups.

Cost of external financing for non-financial corporations (%)
Chart 1. Cost of external financing for non-financial corporations (%) Source: Gilchrist and Mojon (2017)
Updated on 10/20/2020 18:39
Post n°185

The Bank's VSE-SME correspondents during the health crisis

Published on 10/15/2020

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By Sylvie Bonneau

During the lockdown, the Banque de France's network of VSE-SME correspondents was greatly called upon to guide entrepreneurs in their requests for financing. Managers' concerns changed during this period.

Chart 1 – Managers’ meetings with VSE-SME correspondents and crisis-related needs
Chart 1 – Managers’ meetings with VSE-SME correspondents and crisis-related needs Source: Banque de France
Updated on 10/15/2020 18:08
Post n°184

Measuring international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic

Published on 10/07/2020

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By Florian Le Gallo and Kevin Schmitt

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted international tourism. As foreign traveller surveys are no longer conducted, the Banque de France has brought into play innovative information sources, such as payment card data, to assess the scale of the shock. After a massive drop in receipts since March, European visitors returned to France during the two summer months.

Chart 1: France’s international tourism receipts (in EUR billions) Source: Banque de France.
Updated on 10/07/2020 14:04
Post n°183

Towards a sustainable upturn in official development assistance?

Published on 10/02/2020

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By Luc Jacolin and Khalil Bechchani

Official development assistance (ODA) should be bolstered in 2020 by the international response to the Covid-19 crisis, whose impact in low-income countries is still uncertain. The main challenge is to ensure that the efforts undertaken will be sufficient and sustainable: increasing ODA is desirable if the sustainable development goals for 2030 are not to be compromised.

Chart 1: Changes in financial flows entering LICs (in USD billions)
Chart 1: Changes in financial flows entering LICs (in USD billions) Sources: World Bank, OECD and Banque de France estimates for 2020.
Updated on 10/02/2020 18:11
Post n°182

How to interpret the rebound in French GDP in 2021-2022?

Published on 09/30/2020

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By Pierre Aldama, Hadrien Camatte, Jean-François Ouvrard and Paul Sabalot

According to the Banque de France macroeconomic projections published on 14 September 2020, after declining by 8.7% in 2020, GDP growth is expected to stand at 7.4% in 2021 and 3.0% in 2022. Despite this apparently impressive rebound, the economic catching-up process should in reality only be very gradual. GDP should only return to its pre-crisis level at the beginning of 2022. This post provides a few explanations of these unusual growth rates.

Chart 1: France: Projections of the volume of GDP, compared to the post-2008 trajectory
Chart 1: France: Projections of the volume of GDP, compared to the post-2008 trajectory Sources: Insee, Banque de France
Updated on 09/30/2020 09:04
Post n°181

State aid and Covid-19: a European dilemma

Published on 09/25/2020

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By Emilie Hermet and Dorothée de Franclieu

In response to the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis, the European Commission has authorised a temporary easing of the framework governing the use of State aid. While this measure was necessary in an emergency situation, it is likely to distort competition in the internal market if it is used on a wide, prolonged and heterogeneous basis.

Chart 1: Breakdown by country of State aid ceilings authorised by the Commission from 19 March to 8 July 2020
Chart 1: Breakdown by country of State aid ceilings authorised by the Commission from 19 March to 8 July 2020 Sources: European Commission data (estimated ceiling amounts) and author's calculations. The amount of State aid paid out can be de facto much lower than the ceiling amount, in particular in the case of loan guarantees (e.g. Germany).
Updated on 09/25/2020 17:37
Post n°180

Do developments in corporate organisational structures pose financial risks

Published on 09/16/2020

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By Vivien Levy-Garboua, François Mouriaux, Tatiana Mosquera Yon and Mylène Sabatini

Since the 2008 financial crisis, captive financial institutions (special-purpose financial holding companies), subsidiaries of non-financial corporations (NFCs), have helped to drive growth in the financial sector, causing it to outstrip GDP growth. This trend reflects the increasingly complex and international organisational structures adopted by NFCs, but does not appear to have been accompanied by growth in risky financial transactions by these entities.

Chart 1a. Foreign direct investment by country, liabilities, % of GDP
Chart 1a. Foreign direct investment by country, liabilities, % of GDP Source: ECB
Updated on 09/16/2020 18:04
Post n°178

Is fiscal policy more effective at the zero lower bound ?

Published on 08/20/2020

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By Giulia Sestieri

Are the effects of a fiscal stimulus greater in situations in which central banks are stuck at the zero lower bound (ZLB)? The question is still debated in the economic literature but some empirical evidence suggests that the ZLB per se does not seem to increase the effects of a fiscal stimulus, while economic slack and loose monetary policy do: this bodes well for the fiscal response to the covi19 crisis.

Source: Glocker, Sestieri and Towbin (2019).
Figure 1. UK fiscal multiplier of output Source: Glocker, Sestieri and Towbin (2019).
Updated on 08/20/2020 16:48
Post n°177

Global value chains and the challenge of Covid-19

Published on 08/13/2020

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By Antoine Berthou, Juan Carluccio and Guillaume Gaulier

The health crisis has severely impacted global trade and revived debates about the location of production. The widespread onshoring of manufacturing activities would mean abandoning the gains from international specialisation, but without necessarily making value chains more resilient. Given that French companies mainly source their inputs from Europe, a coordinated, EU-wide industrial strategy seems more appropriate.

Chart 1: Percentage change in volumes of manufacturing output and external trade between January-April 2019 and January-April 2020
Chart 1: Percentage change in volumes of manufacturing output and external trade between January-April 2019 and January-April 2020 Source: CPB World Trade Monitor. Authors' calculations.
Updated on 08/13/2020 08:59
Post n°176

US economic stimulus: what impact on household income?

Published on 08/05/2020

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By Annabelle de Gaye, Cristina Jude

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, the US authorities adopted an unprecedented set of fiscal measures, targeting households in particular. These measures aim at preserving the purchasing power of US households, but less than half of this additional income should be spent.

Chart 1. Compared fiscal policy responses 2020/2008
Chart 1. Compared fiscal policy responses 2020/2008 Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Updated on 08/05/2020 16:43

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