As such, “Policy dilemma” in Emerging Market Economies is likely to become more pronounced, especially as policy rate hikes from external front are imminent. Along the way, clear and timely policy communications from Advanced Economies will be useful to prepare for any adverse side-effects going forward. Part III: Key policy takeaway and the importance of policy collaborations Ladies and Gentlemen, In preparation for upcoming challenges, policymakers wish to do better than passively “catching up” with the crisis, but to be actively “ahead of the crisis” in order to prevent, or at least, mitigate the impact should one occur. Against this backdrop, lines of policy defenses for each economy have to be strengthened. 2  BIS central bankers’ speeches  If we think of the economy as our own house, then keeping the house in order is always an effective first line of defense. Strong economic fundamentals and macroeconomic policy credibility would play a crucial role in ensuring confidence and the sustainable economic activities. Nonetheless, increasing interconnectedness has made housekeeping more difficult as it creates spillovers. To better deal with the shocks, broader set of policy tools are called for. In a nutshell, sound macroeconomic policy and flexible macro-prudential measures to target vulnerabilities have been employed to minimize unprecedented impact in an appropriate and timely manner. Nonetheless, these policies are reaching their limits, not only in terms of policy space but also effectiveness. For a better solution, reforms in both the financial and real sectors are essential.

Moreover, the situation had worsened as it added to the direct impact of weakened global demand. Although the spillover impacts to individual economies have been uneven, monetary policy in most emerging markets have faced a tradeoff between achieving domestic objectives and managing external spillovers. The limited and, in many cases, stretched monetary policy tools have been designed to mitigate financial imbalance and vulnerability, and to restore economic growth and maintain targeted inflation. Our experiences from various Quantitative Easing (QE) episodes remind us that the traditional monetary policy at hand may not be sufficient to address these multiple objectives. Alongside policy interest rate as a primary tool, central banks in emerging markets have additionally relied more on non-traditional, tools and measures. One is macro-prudential policies, mostly related to real estate and the banking sector, to help address pockets of vulnerability in the short-term. The other is a more market oriented approach by allowing greater exchange rate flexibility to counter large and volatile capital flows. Thus far, it is evident that emerging market economies have weathered such spillovers quite well, but new challenges keep coming our way. Despite signs of recovery in some Advanced Economies, their paths remain uneven. This called for the divergence of policy implementations with substantial uncertainty, especially to financial market participants. Next, the prolonged stagnation in some Advanced Economies has taken more tolls on emerging economies as reflected by softening growth and heightening vulnerabilities.