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The unsecured interbank money market: A description of the Portuguese case

Authors 
Sofia Saldanha
Publication Year 
2016
JEL Code 
E58 - Central Banks and Their Policies
G21 - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Mortgages
Abstract 
Money markets were severely impaired by the financial and subsequent sovereign debt crises. Although the euro money market has been studied substantially, little has been done for the particular case of Portugal. This thesis investigates how the Portuguese part of the euro unsecured interbank money market was affected by the two consecutive crises. I constructed and adapted a Furfine-based algorithm to identify the loans traded and settled in TARGET2, in which a least one of the counterparties is a Portuguese bank. Identified loans have overnight and one-week maturities. Data shows a clear trend towards a closed interbank money market. In addition, there is a visibly significant reduction in the number of times banks trade in the market, accompanied by a parallel drop in volumes transacted. Finally, I find that interest rates rise above the benchmark and those in the domestic market are persistently higher than rates agreed upon through cross-border operations.
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