Increasingly difficult financial conditions
Global financial market volatility rose noticeably
in 2015 against the backdrop of slowing activity in
large emerging economies, diverging monetary
policies of major central banks, continued declines
in commodity prices, and fragile liquidity
conditions. In this context, market adjustments to
adverse or unexpected news have been abrupt.
Following a correction from overvalued equity
prices in China and an unforeseen change in its
exchange rate regime during the summer of 2015,
the VIX index of stock-market volatility, often
considered a proxy of global risk aversion, briefly
surged to levels last seen during the 2011-12 Euro
Area crisis (Figure 1.7)2
. While there was no
unusual stress in short-term funding markets, nor
a credit crunch in any large emerging markets, the
summer market turmoil led to a sharp sell-off in
developing country assets and a drop in capital
inflows to those economies.