U.S. monetary policy and China's exchange rate policy during the great recession

Abstract

AbstractI examine the transmission of expansionary U.S. monetary policy in cases where emerging economies—including China—peg their currencies to the dollar. I evaluate the value of the dollar peg as a fraction of consumption that households would be willing to pay for the dollar peg to remain as well off under the dollar peg as they would be under a flexible exchange rate. The value of the dollar peg is typically positive for the dollar bloc because the United States can no longer improve its terms of trade at the dollar bloc's expense. This provides a rationale for fixing the exchange rate. The dollar peg is typically harmful to the United States, providing a rationale for criticism of China's exchange rate policy during the Great Recession.