Download or read book IMF Staff papers, Volume 45 No. 2 written by International Monetary Fund. Research Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper analyzes contagion and volatility with imperfect credit markets. The paper interprets contagion effects as an increase in the volatility of shocks impinging on the economy. The implications of this approach are analyzed in a model in which domestic banks borrow at a premium on world capital markets, and domestic producers borrow at a premium from domestic banks. Financial spreads depend on a markup that compensates lenders, in particular, for the expected cost of contract enforcement. Higher volatility increases financial spreads and the producers’ cost of capital.