Real Exchange Rate Depreciation Research Articles

ANALISIS DETERMINAN REALISASI PENANAMAN MODAL ASING DI INDONESIA PERIODE 2000Q1:2022Q4

As a developing country, foreign investment plays an important role in developing the economy in Indonesia. It can increase economic growth, create jobs, and open up pathways for the transfer of technology and knowledge from abroad. This study aims to examine the factors that can affect the realization of foreign investment in Indonesia. The variables that will be used in the analysis of this study consist of foreign investment realization, economic growth rate, natural resources, labor force and real exchange rate. This research will use the Error Correction Model method as a research analysis tool. According to the results of short-term analysis, natural resources can affect the realization of foreign investment into Indonesia positively and significantly. In addition, real exchange rate depreciation can also encourage an increase in realized foreign investment in Indonesia. According to the results of long-term analysis, economic growth rate, natural resources, labor force and real exchange rate are known to have a significant positive influence on the realization of foreign investment in Indonesia.

Government policies and manufacturing production during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper evaluates the impact of government support and containment measures on the manufacturing production cycle (MPC) of 39 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, the effects of these variables on the MPC have not been studied. To obtain reliable evidence, we resort to two complementary econometric techniques: the Arellano-Bond Generalized Method of Moments (GMMs) and the Arellano-Bover GMMs. The evidence is consistent across econometric methods in showing that: 1) Closure and containment measures have been recessionary, 2) Income support measures and interest rate cuts have been effective in raising manufacturing production, and 3) Real exchange rate depreciations do not stimulate (and could even discourage) manufacturing production, presumably because they make imported intermediate inputs more expensive. Therefore, raising consumption through higher income and investment through lower interest rates can alleviate the recessionary effects of closure and containment policies, whereas depreciating the currency may not be effective to boost manufacturing production amid falling world trade and disrupted global supply chains, which could interact with a weaker currency to make imported intermediate inputs even more costly.

The real exchange rate and economic growth: a meta-analysis

PurposeEmpirical studies regarding the impact of the real exchange rate (RER) on economic growth are extensively available. However, the literature as a whole appears to report varying results, while the causes of such differences have not been analyzed systematically. The present study aims to fill the gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors compile 543 empirical estimates from 51 studies of the exchange rate-growth nexus in order to meta-analyze its relationship. Meta-analysis allows the authors to quantitatively synthesize previous empirical studies and explain the variation in the results. This method also enables us to investigate the possibility of publication bias, as there is a tendency in research only to report results that are both statistically significant and show the expected signs.FindingsAfter addressing publication bias and heterogeneity in the estimates, the meta-regression results show that RER depreciation (or undervaluation) genuinely favors economic growth. On average, RER depreciation has a greater impact on economic growth in developing countries than the developed ones. The study’s results imply that maintaining an undervalued RER could be favorable to spur economic growth, especially in developing countries.Originality/valueInitially predominant in the medical literature, meta-analysis has been on a rising edge in economics. This progress has produced many systematic quantitative review analyses with continuously improved statistical-econometric practices related to economic variables. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no comprehensive meta-regression analysis of the relationship between exchange rate and economic growth has been conducted and published in any publicly accessible academic outlet. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap in the literature.

Are macroprudential policy instruments effective? Evidence using difference-in-difference approach with heterogeneous treatment effects

ABSTRACT We empirically investigate the effectiveness of 17 macroprudential policy (MPP) instruments on financial and macroeconomic stability for 98 emerging market and 36 advanced economies between 1990 and 2020. We use Difference-in-Difference estimators with heterogeneous treatment effects which are robust in estimating treatment effects as compared to time and group fixed effects estimators. We find that while in short-term MPP instruments stabilize capital & other investment flows, in longer term, the regulations may increase fluctuations. Further we find that the MPP regulation reduces leverage growth in short-term, however, it may increase leverage growth in longer term. Our results show that broadly, tightening MPP instruments has a stabilizing impact on financial variables. However, the results indicate that MPP may have negative spill-over effects on real GDP growth. The impact on real effective exchange rate depreciation is mixed.

Asymmetric effect of real exchange rate changes on poverty: The role of remittances and the informal sector

The objective of this study is to analyze the asymmetrical effects between the real exchange rate and poverty in some Maghreb countries through the remittances channel and the informal sector channel. We aim at answering the following question: to what extent does the variation of the real exchange rate contribute to explain the evolution of poverty through the channels of remittances and the informal sector? To do so, we applied the NARDL technique on data for three countries (Algeria, Tunisia, and the Maghreb) over the period from 1980 to 2018. The results show that real exchange rate depreciations have a larger positive effect on poverty through remittances. The results are expected to be of considerable importance for developing countries in designing exchange rate and inflation policies that affect the poverty levels of their populations through the remittance mechanism and the size of the informal sector.

Effects of the Tax Transition Reform on the Real Exchange Rate through the Trade Openness Channel in Developing Countries

International financial institutions have advised developing countries to implement a reform of their tax revenue structure to reduce their dependence on international trade tax revenue, for the benefit of domestic tax revenue. This study examines the effect of this type of tax reform on the real exchange rate through the trade openness channel. It defines tax reform (also known as "tax transition reform") as a process that involves the convergence of developing countries' tax structures toward the tax structure of developed countries (given the weak dependence of the latter's tax structure on international trade tax revenue). The analysis is conducted using an unbalanced panel dataset of 107 countries from 1980-2019, and the two-step system-generalized method of moments approach. The findings show that tax reform causes real exchange rate depreciation, with the magnitude of this effect being higher in developed countries than in developing countries. Furthermore, the real exchange rate depreciation effect of the tax reform is higher in countries with greater trade openness and a tax structure that is less dependent on international trade tax revenue.

Explaining and correcting trade imbalances between the Northern and Southern Eurozone: An empirical investigation

AbstractIn this paper we take a novel approach to examining the trade imbalances between the Southern Eurozone countries and the Northern Eurozone countries by aggregating them into a Southern Group and Northern Group. We then explore three possible causes of the trade imbalances, which are the fiscal channel, the investment channel and the competitiveness channel. We find that all three channels are important in explaining the emergence and correction of trade imbalances. In particular, we find that an increase in fiscal deficits in the North are twice as effective in reducing trade imbalances than fiscal consolidation in the South. By contrast, increased investment in the North has a similar impact to reduced investment in the South in correcting the trade imbalances. Finally, we find that a depreciation of the South's real exchange rate is associated with a long run deterioration in the Southern Group's trade balance suggesting that the South needs to seek non‐price competitiveness channels to address its trade imbalances.

OIL PRICES, EXCHANGE RATES, AND THE TRADE BALANCE: EVIDENCE FROM KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIA

The original objective of this paper is to study the impact of the exchange rate on the trade balance for Kazakhstan and Russia. Baseline empirical results indicate that an exchange rate depreciation actually decreases exports and deteriorates the trade balance for these countries; this is the opposite of the traditional theory of the J-curve and Marshall–Lerner condition. The paper then explores why these major oil exporters do not conform to the theory. It argues that it is the oil price that affects both the exchange rate and the trade balance, thereby masking the true impact of the exchange rate on the trade balance. More formally, the paper augments the traditional theory to take into account the behavior of oil prices in the export and trade balance equations. The augmented theory posits that a decrease in the oil price leads to a real exchange rate depreciation and a decline in exports, thereby creating the positive correlation seen in the baseline results. In accordance with the augmented theory, the regression results suffer from omitted variable bias; when the oil price is taken into account, the results again support the theory.

The Real Exchange Rate, Innovation, and Productivity

AbstractWe build a dynamic heterogeneous-firm model in which real depreciations raise export demand and the cost of importing intermediates, and also affect borrowing constraints and the profitability of engaging in research and development (R&D). A number of stylized facts on manufacturing firms for a large set of countries discipline our estimation: Firms in emerging East Asia are very export oriented and rely little on imported intermediates, whereas the opposite holds for Latin America and Eastern Europe; firms from industrialized countries export as much as they import. Exporters experience an increase in cash flow, R&D, and productivity growth in response to real exchange rate (RER) depreciations; importers experience the opposite outcomes. In counterfactual simulations of temporary RER movements, the effects on innovation and productivity growth are heterogeneous across regions, sizeable and persistent. In emerging Asia, real depreciations are associated with higher probabilities to engage in R&D, faster growth of average firm-level productivity and cash flow, and higher export entry rates; we find negative average effects on these outcomes for firms in other emerging economies, and no significant average effects for firms in industrialized economies.

The path to kina convertibility: An analysis of Papua New Guineaʼs foreign exchange market

AbstractPapua New Guinea (PNG) has faced a foreign exchange (forex) shortage since 2015. The Bank of PNG has resorted to forex rationing to protect reserves, leading to a large backlog of orders and import compression. This paper surveys the structure of PNGʼs forex market and analyses recent market conditions. We argue that a real exchange rate depreciation is required to restore currency convertibility. We develop a forex market model that features a backlog of unmet orders which suggests that a frontloaded depreciation is preferred to an often‐favored gradual adjustment. Empirical results indicate that the governmentʼs large budget deficits have contributed to the forex shortage, highlighting the need for greater fiscal restraint. In the longer term, we argue for more exchange rate flexibility and forex allocation through competitive auction.

Reserve accumulation, growth and financial crises

We present a model that reproduces two salient facts characterizing the international monetary system: Fast growing emerging countries i) run current account surpluses, ii) accumulate international reserves and receive net private inflows. We study a two-sector, tradable and non-tradable, small open economy. There is a growth externality in the tradable sector and agents have imperfect access to international financial markets. By accumulating foreign reserves, the government induces a real exchange rate depreciation and a reallocation of production towards the tradable sector that boosts growth. Financial frictions generate imperfect substitutability between private and public debt flows so that private agents do not perfectly offset the government policy. The possibility of using reserves to provide liquidity during crises amplifies the positive impact of reserve accumulation on growth. The optimal reserve management entails a fast rate of reserve accumulation, as well as higher growth and larger current account surpluses compared to the economy with no policy intervention.

Real exchange rate shocks and new product margins in the export market

AbstractThis study examines the impact of industry real exchange rate (RER) shocks on plant and product exports using a comprehensive dataset for South Korea from 1990 to 1996. We find that RER changes have heterogeneous effects on real exports of existing exporters in terms of their productivity, and the positive RER depreciation effect on exports is more pronounced for less productive plants. At a product level, we find new evidence that a weak home currency prompts exporters to introduce new products to the export market, especially more remarkable for low‐productivity plants. In contrast, a strong home currency leads to product exit with less significance.

Productivity and trade dynamics in sudden stops

This paper proposes a framework to jointly study productivity and trade dynamics during financial crises. The persistent output loss caused by crises is driven by lower productivity growth, which is determined by changes in product entry and exit margins in domestic and export markets. We calibrate and validate the model using unique data on firms’ product portfolios, finding they closely match the behavior of various margins during Chile's 1998 sudden stop. We decompose the sources of the welfare cost of sudden stops, finding that 30% is due to a decline in productivity growth. Lower productivity growth, in turn, is due mostly to slower firm and product entry into the domestic market, while a persistent real exchange rate depreciation induces surviving firms to tilt their product portfolios toward export markets, driving the productivity recovery in the aftermath of the crisis.

The impact of real exchange rates on real stock prices

PurposeThe study examines the impact of real exchange rates and asymmetric real exchange rates on real stock prices in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Hong Kong and Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the asymmetric autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach and non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach.FindingsThe asymmetric ARDL approach shows more economic variables are found to be statistically significant than the ARDL approach. The asymmetric real exchange rate is mostly found to have a significant impact on the real stock price. Moreover, real output and real interest rates are found to have a significant impact on the real stock price. The Asian financial crisis (1997–1998) and the global financial crisis (2008–2009) are found to have a significant impact on the real stock price in some economies.Research limitations/implicationsEconomic variables are important in the determination of stock prices.Originality/valueIt is important to examine the impact of asymmetric real exchange rate on the real stock price as the depreciation of real exchange rate could have different impacts than the appreciation of real exchange rate on the real stock price. The previous studies in the literature mostly found the significant impact of nominal exchange rate on the nominal stock price.

Why do exports react less to real exchange rate depreciations than to appreciations? Evidence from Pakistan

We examine if and why export responses to real exchange depreciations are lower than those to appreciations. We document this asymmetric response using macro-level data for Pakistan and show that export adjustments after depreciations are less than one-third as fast as those to appreciations. We use product-destination level data to examine three complementary drivers of this asymmetry: (i) information frictions that increase the search costs of finding new clients; (ii) supply constraints related limited access to credit that reduce exporters’ capacity to scale up after relative prices become more favorable; and (iii) reduced prices in US dollars offered by international buyers after local currency depreciations, akin to a pricing-to-market mechanism. We find evidence of the three drivers explaining the dampened export response to depreciations. Policymakers in developing countries should consider addressing these issues to maximize export responses to real depreciations.

On the asymmetric effect of real exchange rate on growth: Evidence from Africa

Purpose ― This study investigates the asymmetric effect of real exchange rates on the economic growth of twenty African countries for the period 2005 to 2019. Design/Method/Approach ― A refined method of Granger and Yoon (2002) was used to decompose real exchange into appreciation and depreciation. To address the problem of endogeneity and cross-sectional dependence, a two-steps system generalized method of moments, Driscoll-Kraay estimator, and Augmented Mean group were used. Findings ― This study established the presence of asymmetries in the real exchange rate in the region. Further, the study found that real exchange rate appreciation inhibits economic growth while real exchange rate depreciation is beneficial to growth in the region. The results are robust to different estimation techniques. Practical Implications ― The outcome of this study supports the traditional view of exchange rates on macroeconomic variables. Hence, findings from this study can help investors and policymakers in the region to better understand the dynamics of the exchange rate and its effect on economic growth. Originality/Value ― This study enriches the literature on the relationship between exchange rate and growth, especially in Africa using a refined approach to decompose exchange rate into appreciation and depreciation.

Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility on Economic Growth: Evidence from West Africa

The implications of exchange rate movement for economic growth have become a growing focus of attention in the recent policy debate and the debate concentrate on the degree of volatility in the exchange rate. Exchange rate volatility is usually a risk that will result in higher costs for risk-averse investors, who may adopt a wait-and-see policy until the uncertainty subsides, thereby leading to reduced employment opportunities and slower growth. Thus, in judging the desirability of exchange rate volatility, this paper studies the effects of exchange rate volatility on economic growth for twelve West African countries: The Gambia, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone. Furthermore, the almost complete neglect of the financial sector development in the growth prospect of West African countries is still rather surprising since economic intuition and theory suggest that the growth of the financial sector by means of indebtedness and credit expansion does provide an average GDP growth rate. However, the financial markets and institutions in the West African countries are narrow and shallow. Thus, these countries do not have the tools to hedge exchange rate risks. Hence, fluctuating exchange rates often generate uncertainty, which leads to a decline in economic activity. Therefore, this study also analyzes the role of financial sector development on the impact of exchange rate volatility on economic growth of the West African economies. The random-effects and the two-step difference Generalized Method of Moment GMM estimation techniques are used in this analysis. The “Ad hoc method” is employed by using the lagged term of exchange rate movements for a robustness check in the random-effects model. The results support that the depreciation of the real effective exchange rate volatility has a contractionary effect on economic growth in West African countries and this contractionary effect decreases with countries’ financial sector development. Our results are also support the random effect “Ad hoc methodology” and the GMM procedure implying that they are robust to the cross-section correlation and reverse causality considerations. We also showed that depreciation of real exchange rate is again contractionary for the West African countries in the short run as well as in the long run using GMM procedures. The study recommends that the authorities in the West African countries should speed up the development of their financial sector to decrease the negative effects of exchange rate volatility thereby encouraging economic growth.

Assessing the Effects of Real Exchange Rate Depreciation on the Moroccan Economy: Evidence based on SVAR Approach with Sign Restrictions

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic response of a small subset of variables to exchange rate shocks by using a new method based on a set of theory-consistent sign restrictions for the purpose of identifying shocks over time (1995Q1–2019Q1) in the Moroccan economy. It is important to note that the current account presents the so-called “J-curve” phenomenon. Additionally, Morocco entered into a period of deeper and longer recession and higher inflation following the dirham’s depreciation. Following a real depreciation, the output has little effect on improving the current account balance. Our results suggest that the monetary authorities reacted immediately to exchange rate shocks by raising their interest rates to prevent the economy from falling into deflation.

Real Exchange Rates and Fundamentals in a new Markov‐STAR Model*

AbstractWe propose a new nonlinear Markov‐STAR model to capture both the Markov switching and smooth transition dynamics for real exchange rates. We derive stationarity conditions for the model and apply it to the real exchange rates of 17 countries. We relate switching equilibrium rates and volatilities to a set of relevant macroeconomic variables and find, consistent with economic intuitions, that an economy deteriorating relative to the US economy tends to see a significantly increased likelihood of real exchange rate depreciation. Moreover, we document significant connections between rising economic uncertainties and real exchange rate changes as well as exchange rate volatility.

The effects of government spending shocks on real exchange rate in Ethiopia

PurposeGovernment spending has inconclusive effect on real exchange rate. From the very beginning neoclassical economists argued that a rise in government spending brings depreciation in real exchange rate while neo-Keynesians claimed that government spending appreciates real exchange rate. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of government spending shock and its components' shocks, namely government consumption and government investment on real exchange rate over the period 2001Q1–2016Q1 for Ethiopia.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the effects of government spending shocks on real exchange rate, Jordà's (2005) local projection method is employed in this study. The exogenous shocks, however, are identified recursively in a vector autoregressive model.FindingsThe impulse responses show that government spending shock leads to a statistically significant appreciation of real exchange rate in Ethiopia. This evidence supports the neo-Keynesian school of thought who predicts an appreciation of real exchange rate from a rise in government spending. While government investment shock depreciates real exchange rate on impact insignificantly, government consumption shock appreciates real exchange rate in this small open economy.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the scarce literature on the effect of fiscal policy shock on real exchange rate in small open economies like Ethiopia.