Regulation of bank proprietary trading post 2007–09 crisis: An examination of the Basel framework and Volcker rule

Abstract

In the aftermath of bank proprietary trading losses in the 2007–09 crisis, the Basel framework uses stressed Conditional Value-at-Risk to set minimum capital requirements for proprietary trading portfolios, whereas the Volcker rule restricts their composition in the US. With or without this rule, such requirements have the benefit of inducing a reduction in the risk of the optimal portfolio (measured by standard deviation) but at the cost of increasing its risk-to-minimum capital requirement ratio. As a hypothetical regulatory alternative, the proper use of standard deviation to set minimum capital requirements and circumvent pro-cyclicality improves upon the Basel framework and Volcker rule.