Articles
DOI DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18435870

Macro-Financial Spillovers to Canada U.S. Rate Shocks, Housing Leverage, and Bank Stability Channels

Abstract

This study examines how U.S. monetary policy shocks are transmitted to the
Canadian financial system, with particular emphasis on housing leverage and
banking-sector stability. monetary policy shocks to the Canadian financial
system, with particular emphasis on housing leverage and banking-sector
stability. Using a macro-financial framework, the paper analyses how U.S.
interest rate increases propagate through cross-border financial linkages, affect
household balance sheets, and influence Canadian banks’ risk exposure. The
analysis combines macroeconomic indicators, housing market leverage metrics,
and bank-level stability measures to find the most important spillover channels.
Empirical evidence suggests that elevated household indebtedness amplifies
external monetary shocks, increasing vulnerability within the banking sector
through credit quality deterioration and funding cost pressures. The findings
highlight the critical role of macroprudential regulation in mitigating spillover
risks and preserving financial stability in small, open economies closely
integrated with the U.S. financial markets. Policy implications are discussed in
the context of coordinated monetary and macroprudential responses.

How to Cite

Romero, G. (2026). Macro-Financial Spillovers to Canada U.S. Rate Shocks, Housing Leverage, and Bank Stability Channels. Transnational Academic Journal of Economics, 3(1), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18435870

References

  1. Adrian, T., & Shin, H. S. (2010). Liquidity and leverage. Journal of Financial Intermediation, 19(3), 418–437.
  2. Akinci, O., & Olmstead-Rumsey, J. (2018). How effective are macroprudential policies? An empirical investigation. Journal of Financial Intermediation, 33, 33–57.
  3. Auerbach, A. J., & Gorodnichenko, Y. (2012). Measuring the output responses to fiscal policy. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 4(2), 1–27.
  4. Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2016). Measuring economic policy uncertainty. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 131(4), 1593–1636.
  5. Bank for International Settlements. (2011). The transmission channels between the financial and real sectors: A critical survey of the literature (Working Paper No. 18).
  6. Bernanke, B. S., Gertler, M., & Gilchrist, S. (1999). The financial accelerator in a quantitative business cycle framework. Handbook of Macroeconomics, 1, 1341–1393.
  7. Boivin, J., Kiley, M. T., & Mishkin, F. S. (2010). How has the monetary transmission mechanism evolved over time? Handbook of Monetary Economics, 3, 369–422.
  8. Brunnermeier, M. K., & Sannikov, Y. (2014). A macroeconomic model with a financial sector. American Economic Review, 104(2), 379–421.
  9. Calomiris, C. W., & Haber, S. H. (2014). Fragile by design: The political origins of banking crises and scarce credit. Princeton University Press.
  10. Campbell, J. Y., & Cocco, J. F. (2003). Household risk management and optimal mortgage choice. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), 1449–1494.
  11. Cerutti, E., Claessens, S., & Laeven, L. (2017). The use and effectiveness of macroprudential policies: New evidence. Journal of Financial Stability, 28, 203–224.
  12. Christiano, L. J., Eichenbaum, M., & Evans, C. L. (1999). Monetary policy shocks: What have we learned and to what end? Handbook of Macroeconomics, 1, 65–148.
  13. Claessens, S., Kose, M. A., & Terrones, M. E. (2012). How do business and financial cycles interact? Journal of International Economics, 87(1), 178–190.
  14. Cúrdia, V., & Woodford, M. (2010). Credit spreads and monetary policy. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 42(S1), 3–35.
  15. Drehmann, M., & Tsatsaronis, K. (2014). The credit-to-GDP gap and countercyclical capital buffers: Questions and answers. BIS Quarterly Review, March, 55–73.
  16. Engel, C. (2016). Exchange rates, interest rates, and the risk premium. American Economic Review, 106(2), 436–474.
  17. Farhi, E., & Werning, I. (2016). A theory of macroprudential policies in the presence of nominal rigidities. Econometrica, 84(5), 1645–1704.
  18. Gertler, M., & Karadi, P. (2015). Monetary policy surprises, credit costs, and economic activity. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 7(1), 44–76. American Economic Association
  19. Gertler, M., & Kiyotaki, N. (2010). Financial intermediation and credit policy in business cycle analysis. Handbook of Monetary Economics, 3, 547–599.
  20. Gilchrist, S., & Zakrajšek, E. (2012). Credit spreads and business cycle fluctuations. American Economic Review, 102(4), 1692–1720.
  21. Greenwood, R., Hanson, S. G., & Stein, J. C. (2015). A comparative-advantage approach to government debt maturity. Journal of Finance, 70(4), 1683–1722.
  22. Hamilton, J. D. (1994). Time series analysis. Princeton University Press.
  23. Iacoviello, M. (2005). House prices, borrowing constraints, and monetary policy in the business cycle. American Economic Review, 95(3), 739–764.
  24. Jiménez, G., Ongena, S., Peydró, J.-L., & Saurina, J. (2012). Credit supply and monetary policy: Identifying the bank balance-sheet channel. American Economic Review, 102(5), 2301–2326.
  25. Jordà, Ò. (2005). Estimation and inference of impulse responses by local projections. American Economic Review, 95(1), 161–182. American Economic Association
  26. Jordà, Ò., Schularick, M., & Taylor, A. M. (2016). The great mortgaging: Housing finance, crises, and business cycles. Economic Policy, 31(85), 107–152.
  27. Justiniano, A., Primiceri, G. E., & Tambalotti, A. (2019). Credit supply and the housing boom. Journal of Political Economy, 127(3), 1317–1350.
  28. Kaplan, G., Mitman, K., & Violante, G. L. (2020). The housing boom and bust: Model meets evidence. Journal of Political Economy, 128(9), 3285–3345.
  29. Kuttner, K. N. (2001). Monetary policy surprises and interest rates: Evidence from the Fed funds futures market. Journal of Monetary Economics, 47(3), 523–544.
  30. Langfield, S., Liu, Z., & Ota, T. (2014). Mapping the UK interbank system. Journal of Banking & Finance, 45, 288–303.
  31. Lombardi, M., Mohanty, M., & Shim, I. (2017). The real effects of household debt in the short and long run. BIS Working Papers, No. 607.
  32. Mian, A., & Sufi, A. (2014). House of debt. University of Chicago Press.
  33. Mian, A., Sufi, A., & Verner, E. (2017). Household debt and business cycles worldwide. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132(4), 1755–1817.
  34. Miranda-Agrippino, S., & Ricco, G. (2021). The transmission of monetary policy shocks. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 13(3), 74–107. American Economic Association
  35. Nakajima, J. (2011). Time-varying parameter VAR model with stochastic volatility: An overview of methodology and empirical applications. Monetary and Economic Studies, 29, 107–142.
  36. Obstfeld, M., & Rogoff, K. (1995). Exchange rate dynamics redux. Journal of Political Economy, 103(3), 624–660.
  37. Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. (2025). Public consultation on Guideline B-20: Residential mortgage underwriting practices and procedures. OSFI
  38. Peek, J., & Rosengren, E. S. (1997). The international transmission of financial shocks: The case of Japan. American Economic Review, 87(4), 495–505.
  39. Rey, H. (2015). Dilemma not trilemma: The global financial cycle and monetary policy independence. NBER Working Paper No. 21162.
  40. Rognlie, M., Shleifer, A., & Simsek, A. (2018). Investment hangover and the great recession. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 10(2), 113–153.
  41. Schularick, M., & Taylor, A. M. (2012). Credit booms gone bust: Monetary policy, leverage cycles, and financial crises, 1870–2008. American Economic Review, 102(2), 1029–1061.
  42. Sims, C. A. (1980). Macroeconomics and reality. Econometrica, 48(1), 1–48.
  43. Smets, F., & Wouters, R. (2007). Shocks and frictions in US business cycles: A Bayesian DSGE approach. American Economic Review, 97(3), 586–606.
  44. Stock, J. H., & Watson, M. W. (2018). Identification and estimation of dynamic causal effects in macroeconomics using external instruments. Economic Journal, 128(610), 917–948.
  45. Svensson, L. E. O. (2017). Cost–benefit analysis of leaning against the wind. Journal of Monetary Economics, 90, 193–213.
  46. Taylor, J. B. (1993). Discretion versus policy rules in practice. Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, 39, 195–214.
  47. Townsend, R. M. (1979). Optimal contracts and competitive markets with costly state verification. Journal of Economic Theory, 21(2), 265–293.
  48. Woodford, M. (2003). Interest and prices: Foundations of a theory of monetary policy. Princeton University Press.
  49. Bank of Canada. (2024). Mortgage stress tests and household financial resilience (Staff Analytical Note 2024-25). Bank of Canada
  50. Kohn, D. L. (2009). Monetary policy research and the financial crisis: Strengths and shortcomings. Speech / Policy Paper.
  51. International Monetary Fund. (2017). Canada: Selected issues paper (Financial Sector Assessment / Article IV background).
  52. International Monetary Fund. (2020). Global financial stability report (selected chapters on global financial conditions).
  53. Bank for International Settlements. (2020). Macroprudential policy and housing markets (selected chapter / report).
  54. Galí, J. (2015). Monetary policy, inflation, and the business cycle (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.
  55. Kiyotaki, N., & Moore, J. (1997). Credit cycles. Journal of Political Economy, 105(2), 211–248.
  56. Jorda, Ò., Schularick, M., & Taylor, A. M. (2015). Leveraged bubbles. Journal of Monetary Economics, 76(S), S1–S20.
  57. Gilchrist, S., & Leahy, J. V. (2002). Monetary policy and asset prices. Journal of Monetary Economics, 49(1), 75–97.
  58. Christiano, L. J., Motto, R., & Rostagno, M. (2014). Risk shocks. American Economic Review, 104(1), 27–65.
  59. Caballero, R. J., & Krishnamurthy, A. (2003). Excessive dollar debt: Financial development and underinsurance. Journal of Finance, 58(2), 867–894.
  60. Bruno, V., & Shin, H. S. (2015). Capital flows and the risk-taking channel of monetary policy. Journal of Monetary Economics, 71, 119–132.