Publisher:
Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Lund
Abstract:
We analyze the importance of different types of asset holdings for the interdependence of the yield curves in the EMU using a spatial VAR model. We find that the cross-border holdings of long-term debt and bank lending are important for the interdependence. Our analysis of cross-sectional dispersion in sovereign-CDS-premium term structure shows that the differential in sovereign creditworthiness in the EMU is a main driver of the yield-curve divergence after 2008. The degree to which EMU countries' yield-curve slopes depend on the US slope decreases in the recent US recession, reflecting expectations during this period about future divergence of the US and EMU economies.