ABSTRACT
As central banks across the globe have responded to the COVID-19 shock by rounds of extensive monetary loosening, concerns about their inequality impact have grown. But rising inequality has multiple causes and its relationship with monetary policy is complex. This paper highlights the channels through which monetary policy easing affect income and wealth distribution, and presents some quantitative findings about their importance. Key takeaways are: (i) central banks should remain focused on macro stability while continuing to improve public communications about distributional effects of monetary policy, and (ii) supportive fiscal policies and structural reforms can improve macroeconomic and distributional outcomes. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to analyze business liquidity perceptions during the Covid-19 lockdown and how the lockdown affected businesses. The research methodology used in this paper consists of a literature review on businesses in the lockdown and an analysis of data collected through a survey conducted in the second quarter of 2020, immediately after the Covid-19 restriction measures were imposed. The sample used contains 180 businesses from a population of 166,386 businesses in Albania, providing a 7.30% error according to the Raosoft calculator. A more in-depth analysis was made by comparison, using box-plots for liquidity issues and problems faced by small, medium and large businesses (SMLEs) during the pandemic. The degree of significance of factors taken into consideration in this study is expressed by Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (PCC) and an econometric model. The processing and analysis of data was made using SPSS V21. From the analysis of the factors considered and the size of the business, two important conclusions emerge: (1) the exercise of activity for Albanian businesses is closely related to the payments and the business perspective (bankruptcy risk);(2) the fear of bankruptcy was felt more by big business, while medium business had fewer problems referring to all the factors taken into consideration. The econometric model determined the most important factors for assessing the level of impact of Covid-19: Failure Perception, Support from Solidarity Packages, and Cash Reserves Usage. Surprisingly, it is noticed that businesses attribute the use of cash reserves (C.R.U) to different expenses/liabilities compared to the traditional ones treated in this study. © Bitila Shosha, Romeo Mano, Armela Anamali, 2022.
ABSTRACT
Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to make an analysis of challenges to private sectors repaying bank loans during and after lockdown restrictions imposed by Albanian government due to Covid-2019 pandemic, and their prospects for bank lending. Design/ Methodology/ Approach. This paper uses a mixed methodology. To collect primary data, we distributed online questionnaires to a number of Albanian firms. The sample collected is a probability sample of business population operating in Albania. The data collected are subsequently processed with the inferential statistical methods using SPSS version 21.Findings. This study identifies and examines theimpact of Covid-19 on businesses that have taken credits during the pre-pandemic period. The results indicate that the risk of deferring loan repayments depends on businesses age, i.e., years of operating in the market, and the use of cash reserve funds of business. The need for liquidity and the perspective shows that firms are reluctant and not sure whether to opt for a bank loan. The factors influencing their decision in this regard are government policies, interest rates and uncertainty in the future. Originality/value. By analyzing the relationship between two important pillars of the domestic economy, this paper represents a novelty. Albania is a developing country and this study would help in future research both for Albania and other similar countries. The findings of this paper can also be used as a baseline for a future forecast model. They could help in analyzing private sector credits in a new socio-economic and geopolitical era caused by Covid-19 pandemic. © Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance 2021.