Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that Luxembourg has shown resilience in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine and accelerated tightening of global financial conditions, partly helped by fiscal support. Although costly, the measures have helped temporarily keeping inflation below the levels in most euro area peers and limiting the number of wage indexations. Tighter financial conditions have started to affect the financial sector, with heterogeneity across segments. The financial sector, overall, remains resilient, though there are some pockets of vulnerabilities, especially in the real estate sector and non-bank financial institutions. Growth is expected to slow to about 1 percent in 2023, before gradually recovering to its potential percent over the medium term. Headline inflation is likely to moderate further but core inflation is expected to remain persistent. The near-term outlook is highly uncertain. Risks are tilted to the downside and stem from a deeper global slowdown, a de anchoring of inflation expectations, and systemic financial instability at the global level.

Luxembourg

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This Selected Issues paper summarizes the recent literature on the effects of automatic indexation of wages on the economy, including specifically in Luxembourg. It discusses potential pitfalls of the current system and explores some policy options to tackle them and make the system more resilient. With inflation pressure heightening in 2022, applying the mechanism would have entailed several rounds of indexation in a short time span, potentially harming competitiveness. The note discusses conjunctural concerns, drawing on the extensive literature about the cyclical properties of automatic wage indexation (AWI) schemes and the recent decisions taken by the Government to mitigate wage-price spiral and competitiveness risks by transferring some of the cost to public finances. Structural issues with AWI are explored in the context of long-term productivity and real wage trends at the sectoral level. Luxembourg’s practical implementation of the automatic wage indexation hinges on the availability of political will and could erode the country’s fiscal space.

Luxembourg

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

During the March 2020 market turmoil, euro area money-market funds (MMFs) experienced significant outflows, reaching almost 8% of assets under management. This paper investigates whether the volatility in MMF flows was driven by investors’ liquidity needs related to derivative margin payments. We combine three highly granular unique data sources (EMIR data for derivatives, SHSS data for investor holdings of MMFs and Refinitiv Lipper data for daily MMF flows) to construct a daily fund-level panel dataset spanning from February to April 2020. We estimate the effects of variation margin paid and received by the largest holders of EURdenominated MMFs on flows of these MMFs. The main findings suggest that variation margin payments faced by some investors holding MMFs were an important driver of the flows of EUR-denominated MMFs domiciled in euro area.

Luxembourg

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Trade --- Luxembourg

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

The IEA regularly conducts in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies of its member countries. This process supports energy policy development and encourages the exchange of best practices and experiences. Luxembourg experienced strong economic and population growth between 2008 and 2018. For most of that decade, energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions fell significantly, but they started to increase again in 2016. The government has adopted ambitious energy sector targets, including a 50-55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Luxembourg faces challenges achieving those targets. Low energy prices for consumers are creating a barrier to the investments needed in energy efficiency and renewables. And the country has a fossil fuel-intensive energy mix driven by a high demand for transportation fuels, notably from transiting freight trucks. Luxembourg is embedded in the European electricity market, a sector that is transforming swiftly as rising shares of variable renewable generation, such as wind and solar PV, put increased attention on security of supply. In this context, Luxembourg plans to expand and upgrade its electricity grids, but the country would benefit further from the deployment of measures to increase energy storage and demand-side response in its power system. It is also important to ensure competitive markets that foster innovation and new energy services. In this report, the IEA provides a range of energy policy recommendations to help Luxembourg smoothly manage the transition to a smart, flexible and sustainable energy system.

Energy --- Luxembourg