Partisan Depositor Responses to a Currency Shock

Abstract

Depositor responses to a large currency shock vary depending on political views. Triggered by a combination of economic policies and a geopolitical conflict with the U.S., the Turkish lira depreciated 14% against the U.S. dollar on August 10, 2018. Using unique depositor-level micro data from a Turkish bank, we find that households significantly increase their share of deposits held in foreign currency after the currency shock, and the shift to FX is most pronounced in areas with low support for president Erdogan, while people in areas with high support are significantly less likely to move from lira to FX. These shifts to FX persist long after the shock, despite the lira regaining much of its lost value. The change in depositor currency preferences is associated with an increase in foreign-currency lending and increasing currency mismatches on Turkish banks' balance sheets, which translate into differences in bank profitability.