Asymmetric responses of commercial banks to monetary policy in a transitional economy: The case of Vietnam

This study investigates how Vietnamese commercial banks respond to countercyclical monetary policy. At first glance, the empirical findings suggest the asymmetrical response of Vietnamese commercial banks to countercyclical monetary policy to be competitive and monetary authority successfully utilizes monetary policy instruments to achieve its objectives. In light of the known characteristics of the Vietnamese economy, the empirical results may be alternatively interpreted as the consequence of graft maximizing behavior of bank management operating in a corrupt and opaque environment.