International Transmission of Interest Rates: The Role of International Reserves and Sovereign Debt

In this study of the determinants of international transmission of interest rates with a special emphasis on the role of international reserves and government debt, authors confirm that the trilemma still holds. They find significant spillovers from the U.S. interest rates to other countries, mostly for Advanced Economies; a dampening effect of the share of external liabilities in the domestic currency; a negative effect of international reserves on interest rates; higher reserves decrease risk premia for long-term interest rates; the significance of spillovers fades once the sovereign debt reaches 100% of GDP in developed countries.