G-7 Finance Ministers Comment On World Economy

by Mike Godfrey, for LawAndTax-News.com, Washington

14 April 2008

The G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors issued a joint statement commenting on the state of the global economy last week.

They explained that:

"The global economy continues to face a difficult period. We remain positive about the long-term resilience of our economies, but near-term global economic prospects have weakened."

"While economic conditions differ in our countries, downside risks to the outlook persist in view of the ongoing weakness in US residential housing markets, stressed global financial market conditions, the international impact of high oil and commodity prices, and consequent inflation pressures."

"The performance of emerging markets has been a bright spot, but these countries as well are not immune from global forces," they explained, going on to observe that:

"The turmoil in global financial markets remains challenging and more protracted than we had anticipated. In the context of a weaker economic outlook, financial markets confront the interrelated issues of: re-pricing of risk and significant de-leveraging; managing counterparty risks; accommodating balance sheet adjustments; raising capital; improving the liquidity and functioning of key markets."

"We welcome efforts by many financial institutions to improve disclosure of exposures to structured products and related risks, and raise significant new capital."

"We reaffirmed our strong commitment to continue working closely together to restore sustained growth, maintain price stability, and ensure the smooth and orderly functioning of our financial systems. We welcome the coordination by major central banks to address liquidity pressures in funding markets and recognize the importance of their coordinated actions to address disruptions in global financial markets."

The group went on to state that:

"We endorse the following FSF proposals for implementation by end-2008:

• Strengthening prudential oversight of capital, liquidity, and risk management: The Basel II capital framework needs timely implementation. The Basel Committee should raise capital requirements for complex structured credit instruments and off-balance sheet vehicles, require additional stress testing, and enhance their monitoring.
• Enhancing transparency and valuation: The Basel Committee should issue further guidance to enhance the supervisory assessment of banks' valuation processes to strengthen disclosures for off-balance sheet entities, securitization exposures, and liquidity commitments.
• Changing the role and uses of credit ratings: Investors need to improve their due diligence in the use of ratings.
• Credit rating agencies should take effective action (consistent with IOSCO's revised code of conduct) to address the potential for conflicts of interest in their activities, clearly differentiate the ratings for structured products, improve their disclosure of rating methodologies, and assess the quality of information provided by originators, arrangers, and issuers of structured products.
• Strengthening the authorities' responsiveness to risk: Supervisors and central banks should further strengthen cooperation and exchange of information, including the assessment of financial stability risks. It is important that an "international college of supervisors" be established for each of the largest global financial institutions. Market authorities also should act cooperatively and swiftly to investigate and penalize fraud, market abuse, and manipulation.
• Implementing robust arrangements for dealing with stress in the financial system: Central banks should be able to supply liquidity effectively during financial system stress, and authorities should review and where necessary strengthen their arrangements for dealing with weak and failing banks, domestically and cross-border.

The Finance Ministers and Central Bank chiefs went on to state that:

"The current financial market turmoil also has raised broad policy issues about the appropriate regulatory frameworks of our financial sectors. We have reaffirmed the importance of reviewing regulatory frameworks to consider whether changes are necessary to ensure that our financial systems are as efficient and stable as possible in the future."

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