Systemic risk and macro-financial contagion in China: financial balance sheet-based network analysis

Abstract

In this paper, first, using a dataset for China’s financial balance sheets we construct the sector-level macro-financial networks. Second, we analyse the statistical features and the dynamic changes of our macro-financial networks. Third, we conduct financial contagion simulations to identify the specific prominent sectors that can generate potential system-wide losses, and measure the resiliencies of different sectors to sector-specific financial shocks. The results uncover certain crucial propagation and contagion mechanisms of systemic risk in China’s macro-financial system. In addition, we find that the statistical features of the networks are closely associated with the losses incurred under the inter-sectoral financial contagion.