Iceland: From Boom to Bust, and Then What? Thorvaldur Gylfason Conference on Reform Capacity and Macroeconomic Performance in the Nordic Countries, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, September 2013 Iceland: So? The Chamber of Commerce recommends that Iceland stop comparing itself with other Nordic countries because we are superior to them in most respects. Iceland Chamber of Commerce, February The Chamber of Commerce recommends that Iceland stop comparing itself with other Nordic countries because we are superior to them in most respects. Iceland Chamber of Commerce, February 2008.

Overview Historical background Relevant comparisons – Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden – Ireland, Portugal, and Greece – Faroe Islands Gathering clouds, once more – Weakened institutions, failed banks, broken trust: Deep trouble – Uncertain prospects for reform and restoration

History and volatility GDP per capita (1990 international Geary-Khamis $) GDP per capita (change in % per year) Ireland caught up after 1980 Standard deviation Source: Maddison Project.Maddison ProjectSource: Maddison Project and Statistics Iceland.Maddison Project Background

Iceland: GDP per capita Iceland: GDP per capita ( , constant prices) 1900: GDP per person was similar to that in Ghana today at ppp Ghana 1900 = 100 Actual output Potential output China India Botswana Greece Korea Iceland’s per capita GDP was equal to ca. half that of Denmark in 1900, and had caught up by 1960 Source: Statistics Iceland, World Bank World Development Indicators, and author’s computations. Background

GNI per capita GNI per capita ( , c urrent international $, ppp) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Norway has left others behind Iceland parted company in 2008 Where to look? Investment Exports Education Institutions Where to look? Investment Exports Education Institutions Comparisons

Gross capital formation Gross capital formation ( , % of GDP) NordicsPeriphery Iceland: Collapse of net investment Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. % of GDP Comparisons

Exports of goods and services Exports of goods and services ( , of GDP) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Iceland: Exports shot up when the króna collapsed Iceland: Exports shot up when the króna collapsed Comparisons Greece and also Portugal remain remarkably closed

Manufactures exports Manufactures exports ( , % of total exports) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Norway pays for its oil Iceland is decidedly low-tech Comparisons

Labor force with primary education Labor force with primary education ( , % of total) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Iceland: Why so much primary? Comparisons

Labor force with secondary education Labor force with secondary education ( , % of total) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Because there is too little secondary … Comparisons

Labor force with tertiary education Labor force with tertiary education ( , % of total) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. … and too little tertiary education Comparisons

Unemployment Unemployment ( , % of labor force) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Comparisons Iceland joined Nordic mainstream

Inflation Inflation ( , c onsumer prices, % per year) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Iceland: Missed inflation target % per year 99.95% Comparisons

Banking Three main banks and Central Bank collapsed – Recapitalization of three commercial banks cost 18% of GDP – Recapitalization of Central Bank cost 18% of GDP seven Damage incurred equaled seven times GDP five – Foreign creditors, shareholders, and depositors lost five times GDP two – Local residents lost two times GDP (stock market was wiped out, pension funds took a big hit) – Public debt rose from 29% to 93% of GDP, or by 64% of GDP – world record Collapse of institutions

Banking Banks broke the law (SIC report 2010) – Insider trading – Market manipulation – False reporting – Breach of trust – Foreign-currency indexed loans – Local-currency indexed loans? Special prosecutor’s office set up in 2009 – Staff expanded from 3 to 100, with foreign help – 80 cases involving nearly 200 individuals Collapse Black, Ferguson, Galbraith, Stiglitz and others make similar claims for the US, with Akerlof and Blinder not far behind

Banking No banking strategy in place as yet – Rumors of Russian money laundering before crash – No foreign competition in sight yet – Government has a big stake in Landsbanki, smaller stakes in other two banks – Rumors of selling stakes to, yes, Chinese banks – New government immediately closed down EU accession talks, cozying up instead to China and Russia as well as to Greenland and the Faroe Islands – Strict capital controls: No end in sight Collapse

Ten largest corporate bankruptcies of all time (USD billion) Source: Financial Supervisory Authority of Iceland. Collapse

Interest rate spread Interest rate spread ( , l ending rate minus deposit rate, %) Nordics Periphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Without foreign competition, Iceland’s bank privatization failed to reduce spread Collapse In Ireland, Portugal, and Greece, local banks face foreign competition

Bank nonperforming loans Bank nonperforming loans ( , % of gross loans) NordicsPeriphery Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Iceland’s banks: Still in a class by themselves Collapse

Bank assets Bank assets ( , % of GDP) Nordics Periphery Irish government, unlike the Icelandic one, decided to bail out the banks, at huge cost Collapse Iceland did have a banking crisis in ; it was covered up

General government gross debt General government gross debt ( , % of GDP) NordicsPeriphery Collapse Iceland: Sovereign default? Hardly. Another rescue by IMF? Possibly. Iceland: Sovereign default? Hardly. Another rescue by IMF? Possibly.

Periphery: Banking crises vs. fiscal crises Fiscal measures 2007 (% of GDP) Bank assets 2007 (% of GDP) Greece and Portugal: Crisis spread from budget to banks Iceland and Ireland: Crisis spread from banks to budget In 2012, ca. half of Irish households had negative equity in their houses compared with about a quarter of Icelandic households

Iceland 2008 vs. Faroe Islands 1989 Iceland Root cause: Corruption, esp. incestuous relations among banks, business, and politics : GDP fell 10% No significant emigration yet, this may change Króna fell by 33% in real terms Promised constitutional reform, but did not deliver, ignored national referendum Limited trust: From cohesion to contempt Faroe Islands Root cause: Corruption, esp. incestuous relations among banks, business, and politics : GDP fell 33% 20% of population fled, half of which returned later Fixed exchange rate, tied to Danish krone one-to-one Promised constitutional reform, but did not deliver, did not hold national referendum Essentially same story Final comparison

Iceland 2008 vs. Faroe Islands 1989 Iceland Root cause: Corruption, esp. incestuous relations among banks, business, and politics : GDP fell 10% No significant emigration yet, this may change Króna fell by 33% in real terms Promised constitutional reform, but did not deliver, ignored national referendum Limited trust: From cohesion to contempt Iceland: Trust in parliament To heal, as every doctor knows, wounds must first be cleaned. Final comparison