Cross-Border Diversification in Bank Asset Portfolios

45 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2004

See all articles by Claudia M. Buch

Claudia M. Buch

Deutsche Bundesbank

John C. Driscoll

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Charlotte Ostergaard

BI Norwegian Business School, Department of Finance; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 2005

Abstract

Taking the mean-variance portfolio model as a benchmark, we compute the optimally diversified portfolio for banks located in France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. under different assumptions about currency hedging. We compare these optimal portfolios to the actual cross-border assets of banks from 1995-1999 and try to explain the deviations. We find that banks over-invest domestically to a considerable extent and that cross-border diversification entails considerable gain. Banks underweight countries which are culturally less similar or have capital controls in place. Capital controls have a strong impact on the degree of underinvestment whereas less political risk increases the degree of over-investment.

Keywords: International banking, portfolio diversification, international integration

JEL Classification: G21, G11, E44, F40

Suggested Citation

Buch, Claudia M. and Driscoll, John C. and Ostergaard, Charlotte, Cross-Border Diversification in Bank Asset Portfolios (January 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=593842 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.593842

Claudia M. Buch

Deutsche Bundesbank ( email )

Wilhelm-Epstein-Str. 14
Frankfurt/Main, 60431
Germany

John C. Driscoll (Contact Author)

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/john-c-driscoll.htm

Charlotte Ostergaard

BI Norwegian Business School, Department of Finance ( email )

Nydalsveien 37
Oslo, 0442
Norway
+4746410520 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://home.bi.no/charlotte.ostergaard/

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

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