Exchange Rates Responses to Macroeconomic Surprises: Evidence from the Asia-Pacific Markets

Abstract

This paper reports new findings from Asia-Pacific economies on exchange rate revisions following macroeconomic shocks. Regional macroeconomic shocks are as important as the U.S. macroeconomic shocks in affecting exchange rate returns. All Asia-Pacific currencies with the exception of Thai baht react significantly to local macroeconomic shocks. Australian dollar is identified as the most elastic currency responding to macroeconomic shocks, and is more responsive than the Japanese yen. Interest-rate related shocks are generally the most influential events. We provide a ranking list on the relative impact sensitivity of macroeconomic shocks. The announcement effect of the U.S. open market actions via Fed Rate revisions is recognised as the most significant event among the 107 macroeconomic announcements examined.