Engelsk

The pension sectors alternative investments of kr. 500 billion have provided diversification and stable returns. Most companies have room to invest even more in alternatives if deemed appropriate in terms of risk and return. An increased share of alternatives can impact both solvency and liquidity, where especially liquidity can become tight if e.g. interest rates increase. Strong management of short- and long-term risks is thus important.

In this Working Paper, I study the effects of local government spending on local retail prices using retail scanner data from the United States. Estimates show that retail prices increase following an increase in government spending. I provide evidence which indicates that this cannot be accounted for by changes in marginal costs.

On 6 September, Governor Per Callesen held a presentation at Finance Denmark’s Director Conference 2021. The presentation describes the current situation for the Danish economy. The presentation also includes the decision of the Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs to raise the countercyclical buffer and describes negative interest rates and the phase-out of government liquidity support. (The presentation is in Danish only).

The ECB's new monetary policy strategy was published on 8 July 2021. The analysis presents the changes and their potential impacts on the Danish economy. ECB's new monetary policy strategy does not influence the way in which Danmarks Nationalbank conducts monetary policy. Overall, the changes are assessed to have small potential positive impacts on the Danish economy.

Danmarks Nationalbank held a seminar on new digital retail payments September 3, 2021, where Head of Payment Systems, Nathalie Pauline Tuxen, inter alia elaborated on cryptoassets, stablecoins and CBDC (Cental Bank Digital Currencies) and their mutual similarities and differences. (The presentation is in Danish only).

The insurance and pension sector’s total investments consist of fewer bonds than before. Since the corona lock down in March 2020, the share of bonds in the portfolio has decreased from 58 per cent to 51 per cent in June 2021.

​In August 2021, the foreign-exchange reserve increased by kr. 24.8 billion to kr. 483.4 billion.

Assistant Governor Thomas Harr participated in a panel discussion on 1 September 2021 on how long-term interest rates influence economic policy discussions in Denmark. The presentation argues that Danish long-term interest rates are likely to remain low for some time, but the fixed exchange rate regime constrains how expansive a fiscal policy pursued over time can be.