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Designation of Global 'Too Big To Fail' Firms

Description: This report provides background on the the Financial Stability Board's (FSB) designation process for systemically significant financial institutions, but takes no position on any potential benefits or shortcomings of that process.
Date: October 29, 2015
Creator: Miller, Rena S. & Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Recent Stock Market Volatility: What Are the Implications?

Description: China's two main stock markets, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE), experienced rapid price increases from about mid-2014 to mid-2015. However, from June 12 to July 7, 2015, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Composite Indices fell by 32% and 40%, respectively. This report briefly examines this volatility and the Chinese government's response.
Date: October 21, 2015
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Nelson, Gabriel M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Regulatory Relief" for Banking: Selected Legislation in the 114th Congress

Description: This report discusses regulatory relief legislation for banks in the 114th Congress that, at the time this report was published, has seen floor action or has been ordered to be reported by a committee. Many, but not all, of the bills would make changes to the Dodd-Frank Act (P.L. 111-203), wide ranging financial reform enacted in response to the financial crisis.
Date: October 15, 2015
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.; Gnanarajah, Raj; Labonte, Marc; Murphy, Edward V. & Shorter, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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How Treasury Issues Debt

Description: This report examines Treasury's debt management practices, focusing on the auction process, how prices and interest rates of securities are determined, and the role of market participants in the process. It also addresses the role of debt plays in influencing present and future budget outcomes.
Date: October 1, 2015
Creator: Driessen, Grant A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges

Description: This report discusses multiple challenges the government of Puerto Rico faces in the fall of 2015. Concerns regarding the sustainability of Puerto Rico's public finances have intensified over the past year, despite several measures taken by the island's government to reduce spending, increase revenues, and restructure its obligations. The Puerto Rican government outlined a medium-term strategy to address those challenges in a fiscal plan put forth in mid-September 2015.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Current Debates over Exchange Rates: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides information on current debates over exchange rates in the global economy. It offers an overview of how exchange rates work; analyzes specific disagreements and debates; and examines existing frameworks for potentially addressing currency disputes. It also lays out some policy options available to Congress, should Members want to take action on exchange rate issues.
Date: September 17, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Election in Greece

Description: This report discusses issues leading up to Greece's snap legislative election on September 20, only eight months after the country's last election. Greece continues to struggle with the negative repercussions of a sovereign debt and financial crisis that began in 2009.
Date: September 14, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The EMV Chip Card Transition: Background, Status, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report describes the financial harm caused by data breaches and the impact of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip cards on fraud. It provides information about the effect of the transition in selected foreign countries and discusses resolved and remaining impediments to completing the EMV transition in the United States. It also identifies areas of potential congressional interest.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Reserve: Emergency Lending

Description: This report provides a review of the history of Section 13(3) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act; P.L. 111-203), including its use in 2008. It discusses the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) authority under Section 13(3) before and after the Dodd-Frank Act. It then discusses policy issues and legislation to amend Section 13(3).
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2015 Appropriations

Description: This report discusses the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill, which includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent agencies.
Date: August 28, 2015
Creator: Webel, Baird
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Greek Debt Crisis: Overview and Implications for the United States

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the Greek dept crisis, including developments through July 2015 when questions about Greece's future in the Eurozone resurfaced and emergency negotiations resulted in a third financial assistance program for Greece. It also discusses potential implications of the crisis for the U.S. economy and U.S.-European cooperation on broader strategic and economic cooperation.
Date: August 19, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.; Belkin, Paul & Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the current state of Puerto Rico's public finances. Puerto Rico faces several fiscal hurdles in 2015. Concerns regarding the sustainability of Puerto Rico's public finances have intensified over the past year, despite several measures taken by the island's government to reduce spending, increase revenues, and restructure its obligations.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Currency Devaluation

Description: This report discusses China's recent changes to its method for determining the value of its currency (the renminbi). On Tuesday, August 11, 2015, the People's Bank of China (PBC), China's central bank, surprised global financial markets by lowering the reference rate of the renminbi, effectively depreciating the currency.
Date: August 17, 2015
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Multiemployer Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Plans: A Primer and Analysis of Policy Options

Description: This report discusses the nature of multiemployer defined benefit (DB) pension plans, and issues regarding their financial solvency. DB pension plans are sponsored by more than one employer and maintained as part of a collective bargaining agreement.
Date: July 24, 2015
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financing the U.S. Trade Deficit

Description: This report provides an overview of the U.S. balance of payments, an explanation of the broader role of capital flows in the U.S. economy, an explanation of how the country finances its trade deficit or a trade surplus, and the implications for Congress and the country of the large inflows of capital from abroad.
Date: July 17, 2015
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Crisis in Greece: Political Implications

Description: This report discusses political and economic conditions in Greece. What began as a debt crisis in Greece in late 2009 has evolved into a political crisis that many analysts believe could represent the most significant setback in over 60 years of European integration.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Crisis in Greece: Political Implications

Description: This report briefly discusses the political crisis resulting from what began as a debt crisis in Greece in late 2009. Many analysts believe that this political crisis could represent the most significant setback in over 60 years of European integration.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the current state of Puerto Rico's public finances. Puerto Rico faces several fiscal hurdles in 2015. Concerns regarding the sustainability of Puerto Rico's public finances have intensified over the past year, despite several measures taken by the island's government to reduce spending, increase revenues, and restructure its obligations.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Countries: Comparative Trade and Economic Analysis

Description: This report provides a comparative economic analysis of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries and their economic relations with the United States. TPP negotiating partners encompass great diversity in population, economic development, and trade and investment patterns with the United States.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Williams, Brock R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Economic Crisis in Greece

Description: This report briefly discusses the current economic situation in Greece. Questions about whether Greece will stay in the Eurozone have resurfaced, as the government's stalemate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Eurozone creditors has reached a critical point.
Date: June 29, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Capital Markets and International Accounting Standards: GAAP Versus IFRS

Description: This report briefly explains the different accounting standards and U.S. capital markets. It examines several International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) policy options Congress might consider and the benefits and challenges of each of those options.
Date: June 25, 2015
Creator: Gnanarajah, Raj
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Securities Law: Insider Trading

Description: Insider trading in securities may occur when a person in possession of material nonpublic information about a company trades in the company's securities and makes a profit or avoids a loss. This report discusses various regulations regarding insider trading violations.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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