This paper investigates the extent to which financial markets in the Pacific Basin Region have become more integrated, by analyzing the comovements of real interest rates. The paper uses cointegration and error correction models and draws inferences on the degree of capital market integration by looking at the speed of adjustment of real interest rates following a shock. The results show that there has been an increase in capital market integration with both U.S. and Japan during the 1980s. Japan has not, however, overtaken U.S. in dominating the financial markets of these countries, except possibly in the case of Malaysia. Capital market integration is found to be greater in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province of China. On the other hand, Japan is the least integrated country with the United States.

This is the first volume in a series concentrating on the financial markets of the Pacific Basin. It investigates such topics as market integration in the four newly industrialized economies of Asia and equity price variation in Pacific Basin countries.

Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics, and Finance is an annual publication designed to focus on interdisciplinary research in finance, economics, accounting and management among Pacific Rim countries. All articles published have been reviewed and recommended by at least two members of the editorial board.

The apparent success of several East Asian countries in sterilizing capital inflows seems to contradict findings of high capital mobility. This paper argues that empirical studies examining money market rates may be misleading, since most lending is mediated through domestic banking systems. In developing countries with repressed domestic financial markets bank deposit yields might be closely tied to international interest rates but bank loan rates might be more independent. A simple open-economy macro model incorporating bank credit is used to motivate alternative tests of financial market integration. Capital inflows are found to affect bank lending in cases where deposit and loan markets are integrated with world markets and hence sterilization is not effective. In cases where loan rates are more independent sterilization seems to be more effective. Next, we examine the effect of bank lending on economic activity. The data suggest that the link between bank credit and investment is important in countries with isolated bank loan markets.