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International financial markets play an increasingly important role. There can be no doubt that over the past twenty years the size of financial markets have grown at a faster pace than the size of the markets for goods and services. However, it is still unclear whether this is a desirable development. This book discusses the debate on the possible separation of the financial sector and real economy. The text makes use of established scientific research.

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Introduction.- Defining the problem.- Classification of the decoupling problem.- Structure of the study.- The relative sizes of the financial sector and the real economy.- Definitional background to financial accounts.- Empirical studies of financial sector growth in the development process.- Studies of the decoupling hypothesis.- Current empirical studies of decoupling characteristics.- Analysis of financial asset ratios in Germany.- Analysis of international foreign exchange trading turnover.- Analysis of equity market volumes focusing on the USA.- Excursus: Costly financial market turnover without a reasonable result?.- Analysis of possible decoupling consequences for the financial sector.- Decoupling as a reflection of CAPM mi-specifications.- Price volatility.- Prices.- Financial sector stability.- Economic policy: Assessment and options.- Evidence for the decoupling hypothesis.- Three evaluation-driven response concepts.- Concluding assessment of the decoupling hypothesis.

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