Cette thèse traite de la notion de compétitivité des unités industrielles par l’indicateur de l’efficience obtenu avec la méthode DEA. L’efficience des alumineries de l’industrie de l’aluminium primaire est analysée sur quatre années distinctes 2005, 2009, 2010 et 2012. Les résultats révèlent que ces unités sont globalement peu efficientes techniquement (inefficience de l’ordre de 1 à 5% selon la technologie utilisée et la région) ; leurs combinaisons productives semblent donc peu optimales. De plus, l’inefficience est davantage prononcée au niveau du coût et de l’allocation de leurs ressources en considérant les prix des inputs différents ou identiques d’une aluminerie à une autre. Tout ceci pourrait expliquer les fermetures enregistrées ces dernières années. Par ailleurs, nous avons montré que l’inefficience technique était expliquée par l’impact des variables explicatives âge, taille et le taux de change. Au travers d’un modèle VECM linéaire nous avons montré qu’il existe une relation de long terme entre la performance financière des grands constructeurs automobiles et le prix de l’aluminium allié. Ce résultat étant l’indicatif de l’interdépendance entre ces deux industries. / This thesis deals with the concept of competitiveness of industrial units by the efficiency indicator obtained by DEA approach. We use a cross section data over four different years around 2009. The results show that these units are generally technically inefficient (inefficiency of the order of 1 to 5% by technology and region); their productive combination thus seems less than optimal. In addition, the inefficiency is more pronounced in the cost and allocation of resources by considering the inputs prices of an aluminum smelter in another. All this may explain the closures of recent years. We analyze the assessment of how external factors such as exchange rate, vintage and scale affect the smelters efficiency. Through a linear VECM model we have shown a long-term relationship between the financial performance of major car manufacturers and the price of aluminum alloy. This result is indicative of the interdependence between the two industries.

A partir de 1996 pour combattre une inflation galopante, Haïti a mis en place une politique de ciblage de la masse monétaire avec un objectif d’inflation. La forte inflation a pris naissance dans l’accumulation du déficit budgétaire et le financement monétaire de celui-ci par le seigneuriage. Cette pratique du financement par l’impôt inflationniste engendre donc un problème de crédibilité, en dépit de la double circulation monétaire caractérisée par un niveau élevé de dollarisation de l’économie qui a atteint 50% dès 2004. La politique monétaire mise en œuvre vise à éviter le biais inflationniste et différentes approches pour améliorer la crédibilité ont été considérées. La crise économique commencée en 2007 dans les pays développés, est née de l’instabilité des marchés financiers et a obligé la mise en place de politique monétaire non conventionnelle afin d’éviter la trappe de liquidité. Cette crise a donné lieu à une accumulation de réserves internationales et un faible taux d’intérêt dans les économies des pays émergents et les économies des pays sous-développés. Il devenait évident que le fondement théorique de la stratégie de politique monétaire demeure la recherche à la fois de la stabilité monétaire et la stabilité des marchés financiers afin de conserver la crédibilité et l’efficacité de la politique monétaire des banques centrales. L’utilisation abusive faite par la FED aux USA de l’assouplissement quantitatif, fait craindre une crise de la dette souveraine des Etats, la création de bulle spéculative, et un retour à la récession. Avec le cas d’Haïti, les anticipations ne sont pas rationnelles à cause des erreurs de prévisions. Une analyse jointe des taux des banques, en utilisant un modèle VECM, ne nous a pas permis de trouver un taux d’équilibre de long terme entre eux. Le test de Seo conclu que les chocs ont affecté la dynamique de ces taux. Les accords avec le FMI ont permis une très faible amélioration de l’efficacité de la politique monétaire avec l’accumulation de réserves dans la foulée de la crise qui a démarré en 2007. / Since 1996 in order to fight inflation, Haiti put in place a monetary policy targeting money supply with inflation target. Inflation high gets started from budget deficit accumulation and monetary financing by seigniorage. This practice of financing by inflationary taxes implies a problem of credibility of monetary policy even with a double monetary circulation and a dollarization of the economy reaching 50% since 2004. The monetary policy implementation aims to avoid inflation bias and different approaches for improving credibility has been considered. The economic crisis started in 2007 created by the instability of the financial markets, forced the establishment of non-conventional monetary policy to avoid the liquidity trap. This crisis has resulted in an accumulation of international reserves and low interest rate in emerging economies and the economies of underdeveloped countries. It became more and more evident that the theoretical basis of the monetary policy strategy remains looking for both, monetary stability and the stability of the financial markets, in order to maintain the credibility and efficiency of the monetary policy of central banks. The misuse made by the FED in the USA of quantitative easing, rise concerns about a crisis of sovereign debt of the Sates, the creation of speculative bubble, and a possible return to the recession. With the case of Haiti, the expectations are not rationales because of forecast errors. A joint analysis of banks interests’ rates using a VECM model has not enabled us to find a long run equilibrium rate between them. The Seo test concluded that chocks affect the dynamic of both rates. The agreements with the IMF allowed improving weakly the monetary policy efficiency with the accumulation of international reserves in the wake of the crisis which started in 2007.

Submitted by Daniel Nobre Martins Pinheiro (dnobre.mp@hotmail.com) on 2018-10-23T14:04:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_DNobre(4-22).pdf: 838987 bytes, checksum: 3287880a5e85dcca4b0ed229a3cd6769 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2018-10-23T16:27:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_DNobre(4-22).pdf: 838987 bytes, checksum: 3287880a5e85dcca4b0ed229a3cd6769 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-10-23T16:58:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_DNobre(4-22).pdf: 838987 bytes, checksum: 3287880a5e85dcca4b0ed229a3cd6769 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-23T16:58:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_DNobre(4-22).pdf: 838987 bytes, checksum: 3287880a5e85dcca4b0ed229a3cd6769 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-31 / O presente trabalho analisa a influência do crédito ao setor privado no ciclo de crédito experimentado pela economia brasileira entre 2003 e 2017. A motivação advém das mais recentes contribuições teóricas e empíricas publicadas após a crise financeira global sobre o papel dos aceleradores financeiros e mecanismos de transmissão em gerar fragilidades financeiras de caráter sistêmico. Conclusões em Adrian e Shin (2010) serão o ponto de partida, onde fatores que impactam o capital de intermediários financeiros operam como importantes canais de propagação de choques. A forte expansão do setor financeiro naquele período, junto a um crescimento sem precedentes do endividamento do setor privado, provém um cenário propício para testar este insight. Um modelo de Vetor de Correção de Erros (VECM) será estimado para identificar tendências comuns entre variáveis reais e financeiras, assim como identificar impactos decorrentes de choques e causalidade entre variáveis associadas a crédito, alavancagem, atividade, colaterais e oferta de fundos. Desta forma, a pesquisa espera contribuir à compressão daquele episódio, assim preenchendo um vácuo no debate polarizado entre aqueles que vêm o país como vítima de condições internacionais adversas, e outros que responsabilizam uma longa história de políticas econômicas equivocadas pela crise. / This monograph evaluates the role played by the credit to the private sector on the boom-bust cycle experienced by the Brazilian economy between 2003-2017. The study is motivated by recent theoretical and empirical contributions arriving after the Global Financial Crisis on the role played by financial accelerators and transmission channels in driving systemic financial fragility. It departs from a key insight from Adrian and Shin (2010) where factors affecting the equity base of financial intermediaries operate as a powerful transmission channel for shocks. The strong expansion of the financial activities during the period, coupled with the unprecedent growth of debt and leverage of the non-financial private sector, provide a promising scenario to test that insight. A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) will be applied to identify common trends on financial and real variables to help to identify effects from shocks and causalities comprising variables related to debt, leverage, activity, collaterals, and funds supply. Thus, it aims at shedding new lights on the comprehension of that episode, so filling a gap on this debate polarized between those who see Brazil as a victim of a stressed global economy, and others who blame a long account of derailing economic policies in driving this fate.

[pt] O presente estudo busca entender os principais determinantes da flutuação de preços do Bitcoin através de variáveis relacionadas à força de mercado, tecnologia, reconhecimento público e variáveis macroeconômicas, estimando os coeficientes do vetor de correção de erros (VECM) e do procedimento autoregressivo de defasagens distribuídas (ARDL). Os resultados apresentaram que o reconhecimento público não possui impactos significantes sobre o preço de mercado do Bitcoin, enquanto as forças de mercado, fatores tecnológicos e as variáveis macroêconomicas apresentam impacto significativo em pelo menos um dos modelos utilizados. / [en] The present study seeks to understand the main determinants of Bitcoin price fluctuation through variables related to market forces, technology, public recognition and macroeconomic variables, estimating the coefficients of the error correction vector (VECM) and the autoregressive procedure of distributed lags (ARDL). The results showed that public recognition does not have significant impacts on the market price of Bitcoin, while market forces, technological factors and macroeconomic variables have a significant impact on at least one of the models used.

A volatile real exchange rate and high unemployment rate is a growing concern in South Africa, therefore the right macroeconomic policy is required. The challenge is to find stability in the real exchange rate paired with a low inflation rate, both of which are necessary to promote long term economic growth, which in turn creates more job opportunities. This study analyses the impact of the exchange rate on unemployment in South Africa by considering quarterly data for the period 2003 to 2013. In this study, the macroeconomic transmission channel is divided into two transmission paths, imports and exports. These find their roots in the Phillips curve and the Keynesian theory on unemployment respectively. The vector error correction model (VECM), together with an analysis of the impulse response functions and variance decompositions, are implemented to determine the short and long run impacts of the exchange rate on unemployment. After the completion of a variety of specifications, estimations and tests, both macroeconomic transmission paths revealed in the empirical analysis that the real exchange rate has a significant impact on unemployment. In the imports transmission path, the real exchange rate, imports and the CPI have significant long term relationships with unemployment. Furthermore, the exports transmission path found significant short term relations with unemployment in considering the real exchange rate, exports and economic growth. The impulse responses in both transmission paths indicated that a shock in the exchange rate will have a significant effect on unemployment in the short run. Similar results were found with the variance decomposition. In the import transmission path, movements in the real exchange rate explained an increasing portion of the variance in unemployment. Alternatively, in the export transmission path the real exchange rate and exports explained an increasing portion of the variance. The evidence therefore suggests that South Africa should focus more on stabilising the exchange rate, since fluctuations in unemployment are a result of shocks in the real exchange rate, following the macroeconomic transmission channels discussed. / MCom (Economics)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

A volatile real exchange rate and high unemployment rate is a growing concern in South Africa, therefore the right macroeconomic policy is required. The challenge is to find stability in the real exchange rate paired with a low inflation rate, both of which are necessary to promote long term economic growth, which in turn creates more job opportunities. This study analyses the impact of the exchange rate on unemployment in South Africa by considering quarterly data for the period 2003 to 2013. In this study, the macroeconomic transmission channel is divided into two transmission paths, imports and exports. These find their roots in the Phillips curve and the Keynesian theory on unemployment respectively. The vector error correction model (VECM), together with an analysis of the impulse response functions and variance decompositions, are implemented to determine the short and long run impacts of the exchange rate on unemployment. After the completion of a variety of specifications, estimations and tests, both macroeconomic transmission paths revealed in the empirical analysis that the real exchange rate has a significant impact on unemployment. In the imports transmission path, the real exchange rate, imports and the CPI have significant long term relationships with unemployment. Furthermore, the exports transmission path found significant short term relations with unemployment in considering the real exchange rate, exports and economic growth. The impulse responses in both transmission paths indicated that a shock in the exchange rate will have a significant effect on unemployment in the short run. Similar results were found with the variance decomposition. In the import transmission path, movements in the real exchange rate explained an increasing portion of the variance in unemployment. Alternatively, in the export transmission path the real exchange rate and exports explained an increasing portion of the variance. The evidence therefore suggests that South Africa should focus more on stabilising the exchange rate, since fluctuations in unemployment are a result of shocks in the real exchange rate, following the macroeconomic transmission channels discussed. / MCom (Economics)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / A persistent problem for hedge fund researchers presents itself in the form of inconsistent and diverse style classifications within and across database providers. For this paper, single-manager hedge funds from the Hedge Fund Research (HFR) and Hedgefund.Net (HFN) databases were classified on the basis of a common factor, extracted using the factor axis methodology. It was assumed that the returns of all sample hedge funds are attributable to a common factor that is shared across hedge funds within one classification, and a specific factor that is unique to a particular hedge fund. In contrast to earlier research and the application of principal component analysis, factor axis has sought to determine how much of the covariance in the dataset is due to common factors (communality). Factor axis largely ignores the diagonal elements of the covariance matrix and orthogonal factor rotation maximises the covariance between hedge fund return series. In an iterative framework, common factors were extracted until all return series were described by one common and one specific factor. Prior to factor extraction, the series was tested for autoregressive moving-average processes and the residuals of such models were used in further analysis to improve upon squared correlations as initial factor estimates. The methodology was applied to 120 ten-year rolling estimation windows in the July 1990 to June 2010 timeframe. The results indicate that the number of distinct style classifications is reduced in comparison to the arbitrary self-selected classifications of the databases. Single manager hedge funds were grouped in portfolios on the basis of the common factor they share. In contrast to other classification methodologies, these common factor portfolios (CFPs) assume that some unspecified individual component of the hedge fund constituents’ returns is diversified away and that single manager hedge funds should be classified according to their common return components. From the CFPs of single manager hedge funds, pure style indices were created to be entered in a multivariate autoregressive framework. For each style index, a Vector Error Correction model (VECM) was estimated to determine the short-term as well as co-integrating relationship of the hedge fund series with the index level series of a stock, bond and commodity proxy. It was postulated that a) in a well-diversified portfolio, the current level of the hedge fund index is independent of the lagged observations from the other asset indices; and b) if the assumptions of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) hold, it is expected that the predictive power of the model will be low. The analysis was conducted for the July 2000 - June 2010 period. Impulse response tests and variance decomposition revealed that changes in hedge fund index levels are partially induced by changes in the stock, bond and currency markets. Investors are therefore cautioned not to overemphasise the diversification benefits of hedge fund investments. Commodity trading advisors (CTAs) / managed futures, on the other hand, deliver diversification benefits when integrated with an existing portfolio. The results indicated that single manager hedge funds can be reliably classified using the principal factor axis methodology. Continuously re-balanced pure style index representations of these classifications could be used in further analysis. Extensive multivariate analysis revealed that CTAs and macro hedge funds offer superior diversification benefits in the context of existing portfolios. The empirical results are of interest not only to academic researchers, but also practitioners seeking to replicate the methodologies presented.

Multinational bank activities have gradually risen in developing countries since the beginning of the globalisation process. Rising foreign bank activities in developing countries have motivated researchers to investigate foreign banks, comprehensively. Turkey is a typical example of a developing country that achieved a tremendous growth rate in foreign bank asset, especially throughout the last decade. The aim of this thesis is to examine two-way linkage; (1) between foreign bank penetration (FBP) and banking variables; (2) between FBP and country risk and (3) between FBP, foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI) in Turkey. Therefore, this thesis is constructed by three empirical sections. Moreover the pattern of FDI inflow and outflow in the world and in Turkey has been analysed, chronologically. In addition, the theory of FDI is taken into account and existing FDI theories has been criticised. In the first empirical work – Chapter 3 - the short run and long run relationship, if it exits, between FBP and determinants of bank performance (namely, domestic bank assets, domestic credit and banking profitability) in Turkey was investigated after controlling DGDP and 2001 financial crisis (DUM2001). The outcome of the Granger causality test indicates that there was unilateral causality which runs from DDB to DFBP . Moreover, I also found feedback causality between DFBP and DCREDIT . By employing impulse response functions, I found that there is positive relationship between DFBP and DCREDIT as I expected. Moreover, the response of DFBP to one standard deviation shock in domestic bank assets is initially statistically significant and positive. The reverse effect is statistically significant and positive. In the final model, the response of DFBP to one standard deviation shock in profitability (PRO) is significant and positive at 3rd quarter. The reverse effect is surprisingly positive but not statistically significant. Specifically, what has not been also investigated deeply in the empirical literature is the two-way linkage between foreign bank penetration and risk such as political, financial and economic. Thus, in chapter 4, linkage between FBP and country risk (namely, political risk, economic risk and financial risk) was examined in Turkey using quarterly data from 1994Q1 to 2009Q4. My finding indicated that I found one error correction term significant and positive in bivariate vector error correction in model 1 and 2, implying that in the long run, foreign bank penetration has contributed to economic and political risk. Moreover, short run causality based on VAR approach between DFBP and financial risk is investigated but I failed to find any significant causality in the VAR model after controlling DGDP and 2001 financial crisis, even at the 10% level. By analysing impulse response functions, I could not detect any significant relationship between DFBP and host country risk variables in the short run. This is because adding control variables (DGDP and DUM2001) make the relationship between host country risk variables and DFBP statistically insignificant. Finally, I investigated two-way linkage between FBP, FPI and FDI in Turkey after controlling DGDP and 2001 financial crisis. The finding from the VAR based block exogeneity wald test indicated that changes in DFBP significantly lead to changes in DFDI and there is also unilateral causality which runs from FPI to DFBP. Moreover, using the variance decomposition technique I found that DFDI and FPI have little explanatory power for the evolution of DFBP in Turkey. The contribution of DFBP to the variability of DFDI is more than that of FPI. The contribution of DFDI to FPI variability ranges between 0.000% and 9.122% throughout 12 quarter periods whilst the contribution of DFBP to FPI variability ranges between 0.000% and 7.611%.

This thesis studies interconnections between macroeconomic environment and non-performing loans ratio (NPL) of banking loans provided to households in the Czech Republic in years 2005-2014. This analysis serves as tool for macroprudential policy to detect potential risks before negative consequences occur. The thesis examines mutual relations between households' non-performing loans ratio and variables capturing macroeconomic environment such as GDP growth, unemployment rate, CPI, interest rate and exchange rate. For purposes of this analysis, vector autoregressive approach and vector error correction model are applied. Based on impulse response analysis, most of expected relations are confirmed. Generally, favorable macroeconomic conditions increase payback capacity of households and reduce share of non-performing loans. According to forecast variance decomposition, increase in unemployment rate is the most serious threat for financial stability of the country from the perspective of non-performing rate increase. JEL Classification C32, C52, E21, G21 Keywords Households, indebtedness, financial stability, non-performing loans, Czech Republic, VAR, VECM Author's e-mail h.kroupa@seznam.cz Supervisor's e-mail seidler@email.cz

This thesis examines the relationship between the real exchange rate and trade balance in eight countries with different level of development for the period 1991- 2012. Using merely exchange rate to improve the trade balance refers to price- competitiveness and relies on the satisfaction of Marshall-Lerner condition. Additionally, we articulate the influence of other underlying factors, defined as "non- price competitiveness", proxied with capital stock variable. A Vector Error Correction Model, based on Johansen's Methodology was implemented in our two econometric specifications. The key findings of the classical trade model indicate that M-L condition is met in five countries and devaluation of domestic currency would improve their trade balance in long run. VECM results from second model, which extended the traditional imperfect substitutes framework to include non-price competitiveness factor, shows pronounced influence of product quality on trade balance, capital stock variable being significant in most of the cases. The results show that trade balance reacts to both changes in relative prices and product differentiation, thus non-price competitiveness factors must not be neglected by policy makers. Our findings also indicate the existence of J-curve pattern, as reflected by short-run...