The Terms of Trade and the Current Account: The Harberger-Laursen-Metzler Effect

Abstract

The paper examines the effect of terms-of-trade changes on a small country's spending and current account, assuming optimizing behavior in an intertemporal framework with perfect international capital mobility. A temporary (future) terms-of-trade deterioration implies a deterioration (improvement) of the trade balance, whereas a permanent terms-of-trade deterioration has an ambiguous effect, depending on the rate of time preference. Nominal and real variables are considered via exact price indexes. Two periods and an infinite horizon are examined.