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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Borrowing in foreign currency: Austrian households as carry traders
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Christian Beer
  • Steven Ongena
  • Marcel Peter
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title Journal of Banking and Finance
Publisher Elsevier
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 0378-4266
Volume 34
Number 9
Page Range 2198 - 2211
Date 2010
Abstract Text Household borrowing in a foreign currency is a widespread phenomenon in Austria. Thirteen percent of Austrian households report their housing loan to be denominated in foreign currency, mostly Swiss franc. Yet, despite its importance, peculiar character, and acute policy concerns, we know little about the attitudes and characteristics of the households involved in this type of carry trade. We analyze a uniquely detailed financial wealth survey of 2556 Austrian households to sketch a comprehensive profile of the attitudes and characteristics of the households involved. We employ both univariate tests and multivariate multinomial logit models. The survey data suggest that risk seeking, affluent, and married households are more likely to take a housing loan in a foreign currency. Financially literate or high-income households are more likely to take a housing loan in general. These findings partially assuage policy concerns about household default risk on foreign-currency housing loans or household retirement security.
Free access at Official URL
Official URL http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378426610000701
Digital Object Identifier 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.02.008
Other Identification Number merlin-id:11785
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