The objective of the thesis is to find out whether expansionary monetary policy creates an upward pressure on asset prices and can thus create asset price bubbles, or more precisely significantly contribute to their creation. In doing so, we test the significance and the sign of coefficient on monetary policy stance indicator as a determinant of real estate and stock prices on 19 OECD countries quarterly panel data since 1980. Further we assess periods of real estate and stock price bubbles and periods of expansionary monetary policy and examine their relationship. The asset price bubbles are assessed on the basis of relevant price indices developments without examining the underlying fundamentals. Based on our results it appears that expansionary monetary policy has a positive effect on real estate prices and can thus contribute to formation of real estate bubbles. The effect on stock prices is ambiguous and mostly statistically insignificant. By examining the relationship between assessed asset price bubbles and periods of expansionary monetary policy we found out that monetary expansion is neither sufficient nor necessary condition for formation of asset price bubbles but also that there is a relatively strong relationship between these events. JEL Classification C23, E43, E52, E58, G12, N10, N20...

This thesis presents two classes of models of boundedly rational decision makers - one with application to finance and the other to pricing. It consists of three parts. The first part of the thesis investigates the impact of investors' boundedly rational forecasting on asset price bubbles. We present a class of models, called extrapolation-correction models, of boundedly rational investor behavior. That is, the investors in our model, quite reasonably, use data available to them, i.e. past price data, to form forecasts about future prices. We relate the model parameters to various behavioral aspects like investor memory, caution/confidence, and panic. We present the resulting dynamical system model of asset price bubbles and relate the behavior of the dynamical system to the parameters capturing investor forecasting behavior. We show that, depending on the behavioral parameters, the associated dynamical system can converge to the fundamental value, go into predictable price cycles, or go into unpredictable price cycles. In particular, we find that the greater the weight investors' forecasts put on the most recent observations, the greater the tendency for the asset prices to exhibit cycles, forming positive and negative bubbles. We also find that when forecasts are strongly affected by recent prices, the price process becomes chaotic and it becomes increasingly difficult to forecast future prices accurately. The second part of the thesis addresses the question: How do investors make their price forecasts? We present the design of an experiment where investors participate in a virtual asset market run over a computer network. During the course of the experiment, the participants report their price forecasts and enter buy and sell orders. The computer software determines the market clearing prices. Despite full disclosure of the assets' dividends and the fundamental value, the price trajectories in all three experimental sessions exhibited cycles. We calibrated various models, including rational expectations based models and the extrapolation-correction family of models presented in the first part of the thesis. The results indicate that rational expectations hypothesis does not provide an accurate model of forecast formation. Moreover, a simple one-parameter exponential smoothing model is much better at modeling forecast formation, with the extrapolation-correction models making the fit slightly better. The third part of the thesis explores a different aspect of customer rationality - that of customer impatience - and its effect on pricing of product versions. We consider a setting in which impatient customers are faced with frequent product introductions, for example, products like Apple iPhones. This raises the following questions regarding customers: Given the pricing strategy of the firm, what are the optimal buying behaviors of the customers? How does customer buying behavior change in relation to impatience? We consider two settings. In the first setting, the firm offers a trade-in price for existing customers and a higher full price for new customers. In the second setting, the firm offers the same prices to new and existing customers, however there is an introductory full price and a discounted price later in the product cycle. We model the customer's problem in these two settings and characterize their optimal actions as a function of the price parameters. We also analyze the bilevel program for the firm's pricing decisions. We see that in both settings considered there are certain well-defined regions in the price space wherein the firm's optimal decision lies. We also provide some numerical computations to study the behavior of the optimal prices as the cost per unit increases.

The thesis analyses and compares the economies of Spain and Ireland in the run up to and during the current economic and financial crisis. Firstly, the focus is on the pre-crisis period since the mid 90's, the causes and extent of the price bubble on the property markets, the caracter of lending boom and the indebtedness of the private sector. The end of the lending boom and conjuncture on the real estate markets in 2006-2007 had strong impact on real economy and the financial sector. Both countries currently pass through a three-level crisis: economic, banking and debt crisis. The aim of the thesis is to examine their causes, evolution and causal links. The paper also illustrates future perspectives of both countries in context of the membership in EMU and possible solutions to their current situation.

La conduite des politiques économiques a été mise en question après le déclenchement de la crise financière en 2007. Cette thèse analyse les faiblesses identifiées dans la réglementation existante avant la crise et propose des pistes d’amélioration. Le premier chapitre s’intéresse à l’existence du canal de la prise de risque en zone euro. Parle biais des mesures de causalité de long terme, nous démontrons que la politique monétaire a une influence sur le niveau de risque financier. Un autre constat tiré de cette analyse concerne l’absence des mesures de risque systémique.Par conséquent, le deuxième chapitre étudie les mesures proposées après la crise pour les institutions financières et les applique aux États membres de la zone euro. A l’aide de ces mesures, les autorités pourront imposer des règles plus strictes aux pays les plus risqués d’un point de vue systémique. Le chapitre trois envisage une première solution visant à atténuer l’effet des décisions monétaires sur le risque. Nous étudions, à travers un modèle DSGE, l’impact de la stratégie de “leaning against the wind” sur les cycles économiques et financiers. Les résultats montrent qu’unetelle approche n’est pas suffisante pour stabiliser l’économie et que des arbitrages entre objectifs apparaissent. Pour cette raison, le dernier chapitre porte plus en détail sur les arbitrages entre objectifs, et propose, comme une deuxième solution, l’intégration des mesures macroprudentielles dans l’analyse. En utilisant un modèle Néo-Keynésien sous forme réduite, nous trouvons que les fonds propres contracycliques aident à réduire la volatilité des cycles, mais que les trade-offs demeurent en cas de chocs financiers. Le rôle de la banque centrale dans le maintien de la stabilité financière s’avère aussi important, puisque l’utilisation du leaning against the wind semble améliorer la volatilité des cycles. / The conduct of economic policy has been called into question after the outbreak of the financial crisis in2007. This thesis analyzes the flaws identified in the regulation enforced before the crisis and offers suggestionsfor improvement. The first chapter focuses on the existence of the risk-taking channel in the Eurozone. Throughmeasures of long-term causality, we demonstrate that monetary policy influences the level of financial risk. Anotherconclusion drawn from this analysis is the absence of systemic risk measures. Therefore, the second chapter analyzesthe measures proposed after the crisis for financial institutions and applies them to members of the Eurozone. Basedon these measures, authorities may impose stricter rules on countries that prove to be systemically risky. Chapterthree considers a first solution to mitigate the effect of monetary policy decisions on risk. We study, through a DSGEmodel, the impact of the "leaning against the wind" strategy on economic and financial cycles. The results show thatthis approach is not sufficient to stabilize the economy and that it gives rise to trade-offs between objectives. For thisreason, the last chapter examines in more detail the trade-offs between objectives, and proposes as second solution,the integration of macroprudential measures in the analysis. Using a reduced form New-Keynesian model, we find thatcountercyclical capital helps to reduce the volatility of cycles, but trade-offs appear in case of financial shocks. Therole of the central bank in maintaining financial stability seems also important, as the use of leaning against the windimproves cycles’ volatility.

The thesis addresses the instabilities in stock markets in the USA. There are many factors that may increase the price volatility, or even cause a panic. During these turbulent times investors can seek shelter in investment safe havens that allow protecting their portfolio against significant financial losses. The focus is put on identifying the situations where it is appropriate to use the safe havens and how to properly time all transactions. Historical insight, events study and investigating economic cycles are the integral part of the work.

日本經濟自1990年起，由「日本第一」落入「流動性陷阱」，而陷入長達10多年的不景氣，主因是日本股市及不動產市場重挫，企業向銀行貸款所提供之擔保品價值下滑，卻因在低利率時代已過度借貸，又經營不善面臨虧損，發生償債困難，一旦財務有所改善，只想提前償還貸款，而無增加貸款意願，故稱為「資產負債表的衰退」（Balance Sheet Recession）。整體經濟景氣蕭條，國內需求不振，亦使振興經濟之寬鬆貨幣政策無法達到預期效果。 日本資產泡沫的破滅使銀行體系的逾放問題日益嚴重。日本政府為了加強銀行體系的健全性，實施金融改革（Big Bang）。使原本以傳統存、放款業務為主的銀行，在面臨國際化浪潮時，也能同時經營證券、保險業務，並將新金融商品引進日本。並由隸屬於內閣府的金融廳(Financial Services Agency)來監督日本銀行及證券業務，負責金融檢查及金融法規企劃業務，落實金融與財政分離之原則。但日本金融業務日益多元化，及衍生性金融商品日趨複雜，對金融監理機關之專業能力，形成新的挑戰。以上所述為日本國內的經濟與金融問題。 至於日圓對外幣的匯率方面，由於日圓利率偏低，套利交易(carry trade) 盛行。投資人趁著日本央行維持低利率之際，借入低成本的日圓資金，然後換成利率較高的外幣轉戰國際市場，追逐收益較高的資產，同時賺取利差、匯率及資產升值的價差，使日圓匯率的走勢疲弱，也造成全球金融市場的波動。 本論文的分析包含： ㄧ、日本經濟不景氣問題剖析：股市及不動產資產泡沫化 二、日本金融危機形成原因：資產價格下跌，影響抵押品價值，企業償債能力變差，故使銀行不良債權增加。 三、日本總體經濟近況（GDP、CPI、失業率的變化）及經濟復甦後日本央行貨幣政策的改變 四、日本金融市場如股市、房地產市場及日本政府債券（JGB）市場的分析及展望。 五、探討日本銀行業獲利能力、不良債權問題、資本適足率以及銀行業股價指數的變化。 六、根據台灣以及日本最近的發展對金融監理單位及銀行業提出應有的改革與建議。 / The Japanese economy fell into a “liquidity trap” in 1990. Due to the stock market and real estate market plunge, the deep recession has lasted for over 10 years. The bursting of asset bubbles caused the balance sheets of enterprises to become weaker and weaker. All companies hoped to reduce their debt to banks if they were profitable. They had no intention to reinvest any more. So it was called - Balance Sheet Recession. Even though the Bank of Japan adopted an easy monetary policy, the financial system remained vulnerable. With the bad debt of commercial banks increasing, the NPL (non-performing loan) problem has been a major concern for city banks and regional banks. Japan's "Big Bang" reforms radically altered its financial marketplace. The barriers separating banks, securities, and insurance companies were lowered. The Financial Services Agency replaced Ministry of Finance to oversee banking, securities and exchange and insurance in order to ensure the stability of the financial system. As for financial business diversified and derivative products complicated, there were many great challenges facing the financial regulatory authorities. During the past decade, the yen carry trade has become a target for many investors or speculators. Traders using this strategy attempt to capture the difference between the interest rates of two currencies. Taking USD/Yen for example, they borrowed the cheaper yen and invested in U.S. Treasuries yielding a higher interest rate. It causes the depreciation of Japanese Yen and increases the volatility of financial markets. This essay describes Japanese financial crisis, Japanese monetary policy, stock market, and real estate market. Besides, I analyze the profitability, capital adequacy, and non-performing problems of Japanese banks. Finally, I give my personal opinions on Taiwan and Japan’s banking industry.