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RBF numérique 2022/10

  • The BFF prize for best master thesis

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Frank Lierman
    Frank Lierman

    This is the speech given by Frank Lierman, Editor in Chief of Bank-en Financiewezen/Revue Bancaire et Financière, to announce the winners of the BFF prize for best master thesis 2021-2022 during the event “30 Voices on 2030: The Future of Financial Services” at the National Bank of Belgium (30 November 2022).

  • Inflatie van naderbij bekeken

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Jana Jonckheere

    There are many reasons for the huge inflation, and they reinforce each other. Considering the recent developments in energy prices, inflation should start dropping from the end of 2022 onwards. The impact of the owner-occupied house price index (OOH) on the harmonised index of consumer prices is quite neutral. Given the large swings in energy wholesale market prices, forecasting the inflation is not evident. The NBB follows a bottom-up approach via the estimation of different components: energy, food, and core inflation. The impact of the high inflation, caused to a large extend by the energy prize shock, implies an impoverishment of the Belgian economy. On average the purchasing power of the households is protected, as a large part of the bill (wage costs) is paid by the companies. But higher wages negatively impact the competitiveness of the companies. Also, the primary fiscal deficit of the government is increasing, while the public debt is growing. In response to the high inflation environment, the ECB has tightened the monetary policy by increasing interest rates and stopping the net purchase programmes.

  • Inflatiecrisis dreigt structurele schade toe te brengen aan de Belgische economie

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Bart Van Craeynest

    The current inflation crisis implies higher input costs, higher wage costs, pressure on margins, increasing interest rates and recession for Belgian companies. Even more important is the fact that this crisis is creating a double handicap of energy and wage costs for our economy. This will lead to less investment spending, less hiring and less economic activity. Especially the wage cost issue is looking like a painful déjà-vu. As in the past, the way out of this situation runs through an adjustment of the wage indexation mechanism. However, the economic pain probably needs to increase before the required adjustment becomes politically feasible.

  • Thesaurierisico’s: indekken of niet? (To hedge or not to hedge, that is the question)

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Herwig Jaspers

    In an inflationary world like we have been experiencing the last 12 to 18 months, companies are constantly confronted with exponentially rising costs. They can react in a more traditional way, for example by increasing stock or by negotiating fixed prices with their providers. However, these solutions are not always easy to get. Furthermore, the counterparty risk has also deteriorated a lot the last few months. In this article we highlight some examples of financial derivative products that can help companies in (partly) managing the volatility caused by the inflationary pressure. We focus on currency- and commodity-risk products and on inflation-swaps as examples of products that can be used for this risk management. Companies should at least contemplate the use of such products to cushion some of the inflationary pressures that surround them.

  • Wat kan je als consument doen met je spaarcenten om je in te dekken tegen inflatie?

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Tonny Vanhaesebroeck / Tom Marivoet

    The purpose of this presentation is to explain which investment tools help in preserving the purchasing power of your savings. The authors show that investing in equities is the best way to preserve purchasing power. They further explain which classic investor mistakes cause investors to throw in the towel with disappointment. Finally, investing in gold and real estate is explained as an alternative to investing in equities. In this presentation, the authors aim to dispel the specter and aversion of investing to their audience.

  • Energieprijzen en inflatie: it’s complicated

    Mercredi 7/12/2022
    Jana Jonckheere

    There’s a bit of good news for Belgian consumers: the federal energy regulator, CREG, issued a noteworthy draft decision on 10 November, characterising certain formula adjustments to energy contracts as "unfair trade practices". As from January 2023, it therefore aims to require energy suppliers to observe stricter indexation rules.