Target Zone Credibility Research Articles

Currency Target Zones as Mirrored Options

This article presents a new way of modeling the dynamics of an exchange rate target zone. In the presence of a single upper (lower) target boundary, the exchange rate is precisely represented as the sum of a free float and a short (long) position in a call (put) option with strike price at the boundary. To model a target zone (with two boundaries), a natural approach consists of describing the exchange rate dynamics as the combination of the two, namely the sum of free float together with a long position in a put written on the lower boundary and a short position in a call option written on the upper boundary, respectively. The authors show that this first order approximation leads to significant mispricing (as much as 20%) and must be iterated, leading to an infinite sequence of compounded “mirrored” option prices. They analyze basic properties of such mirrored nested options analytically, describe how to calculate them numerically, and show why it is crucial to take into account higher order corrections in realistic target zones. They argue that this analogy to option prices allows for conceptually simple generalizations that describe different target zone arrangements. They then apply their methodology to the estimation of the fundamental value of the Hong Kong dollar that is hidden by the target zone pegged to the US dollar. They also estimate the implied maturity and explain how this parameter serves as direct proxy for target zone credibility.

Currency Target Zones as Mirrored Options

A new way of modeling the dynamics of an exchange rate target zone is presented. In the presence of a single upper (resp. lower) target boundary, the exchange rate is precisely represented as the sum of a free float and a short (resp. long) position in a call (resp. put) option with strike price at the boundary. To model a target zone (with two boundaries), a natural approach consists in describing the exchange rate dynamics as the combination of the two, namely the sum of free float together with a long position in a put written on the lower boundary and a short position in a call option written on the upper boundary, respectively. We show that this first order approximation leads to significant mispricing (as much as 20%) and must be iterated, leading to an infinite sequence of compounded 'mirrored' option prices. We analyze basic properties of such mirrored nested options analytically, describe how to calculate them numerically, and show why it is crucial to take into account higher order corrections in realistic target zones. We argue that this analogy to option prices allows for conceptually simple generalizations that describe different target zone arrangements. We apply our methodology to the estimation of the fundamental value of the Hong Kong dollar that is hidden by the target zone peg to the US dollar. We also estimate the implied maturity and explain how this parameter serves as direct proxy for target zone credibility.

Currency option pricing in a credible exchange rate target zone

This article examines currency option pricing within a credible target zone arrangement where interventions at the boundaries push the exchange rate back into its fluctuation band. Valuation of such options is complicated by the requirement that the reflection mechanism should prevent the arbitrage opportunities that would arise if the exchange rate were to spend finite time on the boundaries. To prevent the latter, we superimpose instantaneously reflecting boundaries upon the familiar geometric Brownian motion (GBM) framework. We derive closed-form expressions for European call and put option prices and show that prices for the GBM model of Garman and Kohlhagen (1983) arise as the limit case for infinitely wide bands. We also illustrate that taking account of boundaries is of considerable economic value as erroneously using the unbounded-domain model of Garman and Kohlhagen (1983) easily overprices options by more than 100%.

Exchange rate dynamics in a target zone—A heterogeneous expectations approach

We present a simple behavioral model with chartists and fundamentalists and analyze their trading behavior in both a floating and a target zone exchange rate regime. When applied to the floating regime, the model replicates the well-known stylized facts, such as excess volatility, fat tails, volatility clustering, and exchange rate disconnect. Our main result is that when applied to a credible target zone, our model predicts that the exchange rate remains in the center of the band for a considerable period, even though the fundamental exchange rate does not exhibit mean reversion tendencies. This is consistent with the empirical evidence and contrasts with the traditional target zone model based on Krugman [1991. Target zones and exchange rate dynamics. Quarterly Journal of Economics 16, 669–682], which predicts that the exchange rate in a target zone clusters close to the edges of the band. The hump-shaped distribution of the exchange rate obtained in our model greatly reduces the frequency of central bank intervention. We also conclude that the introduction of a target zone regime significantly reduces exchange rate volatility by decreasing speculative activity in the FX market.

Exchange Rate Dynamics in a Target Zone - A Heterogeneous Expectations Approach

We present a simple behavioral model with chartists and fundamentalists and analyze their trading behavior in both a floating and a target zone exchange rate regime. When applied to the floating regime, the model replicates the well-known stylized facts, such as excess volatility, fat tails, volatility clustering and exchange rate disconnect. Our main result is that when applied to a credible target zone, our model predicts that the exchange rate remains in the center of the band for a considerable period, even though the fundamental exchange rate does not exhibit mean reversion tendencies. This is consistent with the empirical evidence and contrasts with the traditional target zone model based on Krugman (1991), which predicts that the exchange rate in a target zone clusters close to the edges of the band. The hump-shaped distribution of the exchange rate obtained in our model greatly reduces the frequency of central bank intervention. We also conclude that the introduction of a target zone regime significantly reduces exchange rate volatility by decreasing speculative activity in the FX market.

Target Zone Exchange Rate Option Pricing

This paper provides a short introduction to the topic of target zone exchange rate option pricing. Models covered include: Black-Scholes equation with derivation, European Call on a stock option, Garman-Kohlhagen model for an option on a free-floating exchange rate, Dumas Jennergren and Naslund model for an exchange rate option within a fully credible target zone and a discussion of the relationship between empirical option pricing data and partial target zone credibility.

Interest rate interactions in the classical gold standard, 1880–1914: was there any monetary independence?

This paper examines an hypothesis of Svensson (1994) (Journal of Monetary Economics 33, 157–199) that a credible target zone can confer on a country a degree of independence in the operation of its monetary policy, even when exchange rates are fixed. We test this hypothesis for the Classical gold standard using a newly created monthly data base for the period 1880–1913. Building on the recently noted finding that the Classical gold standard represented a credible, well-behaved, target zone system we propose a number of ways of testing the Svensson’ model. Our main finding is that the Classical gold standard did indeed confer some independence in the operation of monetary policy for participating countries. This would seem to have an important bearing on the kind of institutional framework required for a modern day target zone to function effectively and, in particular, to weather speculative attacks.

Credibility in the EMS: new evidence using nonlinear forecastability tests

This paper develops a test for target-zone credibility that makes use of nonlinear forecastable dependences in time series. The test procedure, based on nearest-neighbour forecasting methods, is applied to nine EMS currencies. The results suggest credibility for most of the EMS countries before the 1992 crisis, credibility losses in all countries (except Belgium and the Netherlands) after such crisis, and some credibility gains after the widening of the fluctuation bands in 1993.

Inside the Impossible Triangle: Monetary Autonomy in a Credible Target Zone

Inside the Impossible Triangle: Monetary Autonomy in a Credible Target Zone

Credibility and Interest Rate Discretion in the ERM

Recent proposals for reforming the international monetary system often focus on a target zone arrangement for the dollar, euro and yen. Theoretical research suggests that a credible target zone confers on a participant some short-run discretion in the setting of interest rates, and recent empirical research suggests that this was indeed the case for the Classical gold standard, perhaps the best example of a credible target zone. In this paper we examine the extent of short-run interest rate discretion (SRID) conferred by another experiment with target zones, namely the ERM experience. Amongst our findings is the result that countries that had a credible commitment to the ERM did indeed have SRID.

An options-based analysis of emerging market exchange rate expectations: Brazil's Real Plan, 1994–1999

This paper uses currency option data to investigate market expectations on the Brazilian Real–U.S. dollar exchange rate from October 1994 through March 1999. We derive implied probability density functions (PDF) for expected future exchange rates and thus measures of the credibility of the “crawling peg” and target zone regimes governing the exchange rate. Target zone credibility was poor prior to February 1996, improved afterwards through September 1997 and later started to worsen again. The market anticipated periodic band adjustments and estimated distributions are very sensitive to political and economic news affecting the credibility of the regime.

Target zone credibility and economic fundamentals

This paper investigates empirically the relationship between target zone credibility and economic fundamentals using French monthly data for the period 1991:6 to 1998:9. The econometric framework is one which allows expected devaluation (proxied by the interest rates differential) to stochastically switch between a ‘high’ and a ‘low’ phase according to the outcome of a Markov process. The transition probabilities of the Markov process are assumed to vary over time as functions of various monetary and real macroeconomic variables. Our findings suggest that expected devaluation is significantly influenced by foreign reserves and the deviations of the exchange rate from the EMS central parity, whereas the effects of real variables are weak at best.

The Evolution of Thought on Intermediate Exchange Rate Regimes

This article traces the origins and evolution of proposals for exchange-rate regimes intermediate between fixed and floating rates. The origins are traced to Keynes's interwar writings. Keynes's ideas were revived in the 1960s literature on the (wide) band proposal and crawling peg and developed in the 1970s by the literatures on the reference rate proposal and optimal peg. The target zone proposals of the 1980s combined the band proposal and the crawling peg. Paul Krugman showed that a credible target zone would make speculation stabilizing. In the 1990s, a number of emerging markets employed such regimes until they were swept away in crises. This spawned the bipolar view, which asserts that in a world of capital mobility, countries have to choose between firmly fixed and freely floating rates. The article concludes by arguing that even the most attenuated form of intermediate regime, the reference rate proposal, would carry advantages over a floating regime.

Does the Nominal Exchange Rate Regime Matter for Investment?

This paper analyses the impact of exchange rate uncertainty upon the pattern of investment in different exchange rate regimes (very hard pegs, intermediate regimes, and floats) by means of a unified approach. The comparison of different exchange rate regimes indicates that currency volatility exerts only a small influence upon the level of investment spending. On the other hand, firms turn out to be more cautious about responding to exchange rate shocks in a credible target zone model than in a flexible exchange rate regime or in a target zone model with stochastic realignments.

The Louvre Accord and central bank intervention: was there a target zone?

This paper presents an empirical analysis of central bank intervention during the 10-month period following the Louvre Accord. We first examine whether the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve adopted a target zone in order to stabilize the yen–dollar exchange rate, by using daily foreign exchange intervention data. We then estimate the expected future exchange rate and the expected rate of devaluation in order to verify if there was a credible target zone. On the basis of these two tests, we conclude that the central banks did adopt a target zone during the period following the Louvre Accord, but that the target zone for the yen–dollar exchange rate was not credible.

Assessing the credibility of a target zone: evidence from EMS countries

This paper proposes a Bayesian extension of Svensson's (1991. IMF Staff Papers 38: 655–665) test of target zone credibility. The credibility measures considered allow us to quantify the target zone's overall credibility at each point in time as well as a measure of long-run credibility. In an application of the new methodology to three European Monetary System (EMS) countries (France, Italy and the UK), using data up to 1993, we find significant anticipatory signals of the September 1992 currency crisis. We also find a strong correlation between various macroeconomic variables and the proposed credibility measure. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exchange rate target zones and stock price volatility

We show how agents’ rational expectations regarding the state-contingent activation of policy instruments do not only impact the asset price it is designed to affect but spill over onto the entire range of asset prices in an economy. We present an application to exchange rate target zones as a state-contingent instrument for monetary policy. In particular we find that any explicit credible target zone for the exchange rate is associated with an implicit target zone for the stock price where the non-linearity of the exchange rate function translates into a corresponding stabilizing non-linearity of the stock price path. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The term structure of interest rates in a sticky-price target zone model

The term structure of interest rates in a sticky-price target zone model with perfectly credible marginal central bank intervention is identified by means of an arbitage-free valuation. We find that an explicit credible target zone for the exchange rate is associated with an implicit target zone for the long-term interest rate where the nonlinearity of the exchange rate function translates into a corresponding stabilizing nonlinearity of the long-term interest rate. Imposing a target zone reduces the variability of short-term and long-term interest rates and induces a steeper term structure relative to freely floating exchange rates.

Implied exchange rate distributions: evidence from OTC option markets

This paper uses a rich new dataset of option prices on the dollar-mark, dollar-yen, and key EMS cross-rates to extract the entire risk-neutral probability density function (pdf) over horizons of 1 and 3 months. We compare three alternative smoothing methods — cubic splines, an implied binomial tree (trimmed and untrimmed), and a mixture of lognormals — for transforming option data into the pdf. Despite their methodological differences, the three approaches lead to a similar pdf clearly distinct from the lognormal benchmark, and typically characterized by skewness and leptokurtosis. We then document a striking positive correlation between skewness in these pdfs and the spot rate. The stronger a currency the more expectations are skewed towards a further appreciation of that currency. We interpret this finding as a rejection that innovations in these exchange rates are independent of the level, or characteristic of a credible target zone, explicit or implicit. Instead, this positive correlation is consistent with target zones with endogenous realignment risk. We discuss two interpretations of our results on skewness: when a currency is stronger, the actual probability of further large appreciation is higher, or because of risk, such states are valued more highly.

An arbitrage free trilateral target zone model

This paper proposes an arbitrage free trilateral model of a credible target zone regime with bands on each bilateral exchange rate. The no arbitrage condition reduces the system to only two dimensions. Any two rates must obey their own boundaries but, in addition, the free rein for movements is restricted by the band of the redundant rate. Therefore, target zone models defined in bilateral settings do not apply to general systems with a cobweb of bilateral bands, such as the European Monetary System. Since the model has no known analytical solution it is estimated by the method of simulated moments.