to substantial declines in the book value of aggregate bank equity, a result consistent with a reduction in earnings for the sector as a whole. Unlike the previous studies, however, den Haan et al. (2007) are concerned with the underlying cause of interest rate changes and rely on an identified vector auto regression to isolate changes in interest rates that are uncorrelated with current and lagged macroeconomic conditions. Under their identification assumptions, these interest rate innovations can be interpreted as “exogenous” monetary policy shocks, though this interpretation is not without controversy.
Derivatives are always constructed with prevailing market rates. Contracting a swap receiving the fixed rate will imply receiving the current fixed rate for the selected maturity. Contracting a swap receiving the variable rate will imply receiving the current rate for the selected short maturity of the variable rate. Therefore, derivatives influence both the nature of interest rates and the level of interest rates paid or received, hence the earnings (P&L) as well. Both impacts have to be assessed carefully before entering into a derivative transaction.
Although the advantage of using derivatives to hedge is universally recognized, increased use of these instruments has caused concerns to regulators. Most studies focus on the role of derivatives, but could not prove if they are used more for the purpose of hedging or in speculative purposes. Particular attention is paid to derivatives as risk generating tools and triggers of systemic risk. There are also a number of studies have focused on the relationship between the use of derivatives and banks' exposure to interest rate risk. The conclusions are mixed. Sinkey and Carter (1994), Tufano and Headley (1994) and Gunther and Siems (1995) demonstrated a significant negative relationship between the gap extent of exposure to interest rate and the amount of derivatives used by banks. These works issue the idea that with the increased use of derivatives by banks increases the exposure to interest rate risk. In agreement with this conclusion is also Hirtle that in 1997 studies a sample of 139 banks and shows that while the increased holding of derivatives increases the exposure to interest rate risk. Other authors, such as Minton, Stulz and Williamson (2009) conclude that the use of derivatives by banks for the purpose of hedging is limited due to adverse selection and moral hazard.