In this paper, we study the implications of diversification in the asset portfolios of banks for financial stability and systemic risk. Adding to the existing literature, we analyse this issue in a network model of the interbank market. We carry out a simulation study that determines the probability of a systemic crisis in the banking network as a function of both the level of diversification, and the connectivity and structure of the financial network. In contrast to earlier studies we find that diversification at the level of individual banks may be beneficial for financial stability even if it does lead to a higher asset return correlation across banks.

Due to the fact that the European transition economies practically started from scratch in financial market development the size of financial markets in the CE-10 is significantly smaller with respect to GDP than in developed market economies. We can show by residual analysis that financial markets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia still need some restructuring. We also find that stock markets hardly contribute to economic prosperity, neither in the CE-10 nor in the EU. (authors' abstract) / Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut