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Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the effect of received remittance inflows on the price level ratio of the purchasing power parity conversion factor to the market exchange rate in 36 developed and developing countries from 2004 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach: The panel data conducted a comparative analysis and used panel least squares, regression with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors of fixed effect, random effect, feasible generalised least squares and maximum likelihood robust least squares to overcome the heterogeneity issue. Furthermore, the two-step difference generalised method of moments to overcome the endogeneity issue. Diagnostic tests were used to increase robustness. Findings: In the studied countries, there was a statistically significant negative relationship between received remittance inflows and the price-level ratio of the purchasing power parity conversion factor to the market exchange rate. This relationship explains why remittance flows depreciate the real exchange rate. The study's results also indicated that attracting investments can improve the quality of institutions despite high tax rates, leading to low tax revenue. Originality/value: The current study findings enrich the understanding of policies of how governments should minimise tariff rates on capital imports and introduce export-oriented incentive programmes. The study also revealed that Dutch disease can occur due to differences in the demand structure and manufacturing development policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors investigate the impact of the US stock market on the economies of the BRICS and major industrialized economies (G7). Design/methodology/approach: The authors construct the world economy and the vulnerability between economies using three economic integration variables: bilateral trade, bilateral direct investment and bilateral equity positions. Global vector autoregressive (GVAR) empirical studies usually adopt trade integration to estimate models. The authors complement these studies by using bilateral financial flows. Findings: The authors summarize the results in four points: (1) financial integration variables increase the effect of the US stock market on the BRICS and G7, (2) the US shock produces similar responses in these groups regarding industrial production, stock markets and confidence but different responses regarding domestic currencies: in the BRICS, the authors detect appreciation of the currencies, while in the G7, the authors find depreciation, (3) G7 stock markets and policy rates are more sensitive to the US shock than the BRICS and (4) the estimates point out to heterogeneities such as the importance of industrial production to the transmission shock in Japan and China, the exchange rate to India, Japan and the UK, the interest rates to the Eurozone and the UK and confidence to Brazil, South Africa and Canada. Research limitations/implications: The results reinforce the importance of taking into account different levels of economic development. Originality/value: The authors construct the world economy and the vulnerability between economies using three economic integration variables: bilateral trade, bilateral direct investment and bilateral equity positions. GVAR empirical studies usually adopt trade integration to estimate models. The authors complement these studies by using bilateral financial flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Empirical 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/approach: In 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. Findings: After 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/value: Initially 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the Federal Reserve's conventional and unconventional monetary policy shocks on the US unemployment rate. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ a unified time-varying framework to an extensive data set from 1960 to 2019. Findings: The authors find that both conventional and unconventional monetary policy influence the unemployment rate, but the effects of unconventional monetary policy vary greatly during the first, second and third rounds of quantitative easing (dubbed QE1, QE2 and QE3, respectively). It significantly influenced the unemployment rate in QE3. However, the effects are less persistent than the effects of conventional monetary policy shocks. The impact of unconventional monetary policy transmits to the real economy through conventional interest rates, exchange rates and asset price channels. The responses of unemployment rate are smaller during QE1 and QE2 due to the rise in inflation uncertainty and economic policy uncertainty. Originality/value: The impact of the Fed's unconventional monetary policy shocks on the US unemployment rate during QE1, QE2 and QE3 is time-varying. It is explained by inflation uncertainty and real option channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The relationship between real exchange rate and services export diversification is at the heart of this study. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is performed using a sample of 113 countries over the period 1985–2014, and the 2-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach. The analysis uses both the Theil index and Herfindahl–Hirschman index of services export concentration. Findings: The analysis shows that over the full sample, the real effective exchange rate appreciation induces a greater services export diversification. This outcome applies to high-income countries and developing countries. However, the positive effect of the appreciation of the real exchange rate on services export concentration is lower in least developed countries than in other countries. Finally, the effect of the appreciation of the real exchange rate on services export concentration in tax haven countries depends on the indicator of services export concentration, as this is positive for the Theil index and negative for the Herfindahl–Hirschman index of services export concentration. Research limitations/implications: These findings highlight the strong influence of real exchange policies on countries' path of services export diversification. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this topic is being addressed in the empirical literature for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The experience of rising trade imbalance between Nigeria and its key trading partners in recent years motivated this study. Previous studies on this issue either ignored bilateral level or assumed that the effect of crude oil price and/or exchange rate changes on trade balance is symmetric. Consequently, this study investigates whether Nigeria's bilateral trade balance with Belgium, China, United Kingdom (UK) and USA is responding symmetrically or asymmetrically to changes in oil price and exchange rate. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used nonlinear autoregressive-distributed lag (NARDL) model that decomposed oil price and exchange rate into partial sum processes of positive and negative changes over the period 1999Q1–2019Q4. Findings: The study finds that the effects of oil price hike and plunge asymmetrically influence Nigeria's trade balance with the UK and USA. Further evidence indicated that oil price plunge exerts greater influence than price hike in all the cases, except the UK in the long run. Furthermore, Nigeria's trade balance responds asymmetrically and significantly to changes in exchange rate with China in the long run and with China and the UK in the short run. Specifically, the depreciation effect is more prominent than appreciation. Originality/value: Significant contributions to the existing literature in Nigeria include the recognition that the effects of oil price and exchange rate changes on trade are asymmetric and the disaggregation of trade into bilateral level to identify country-specific effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to attempt to understand the joint co-movement of bank deposit rate and its main underlying determinants (foreign exchange rate (FX) rate, cross-currency swap rate and implied forward rate). The authors also compare time and frequency variant approaches in this dynamic. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine bank deposit rates where multiple variables jointly interact, and the integration is time and frequency variant. The study applies both cointegration and wavelet coherence methods and conducts a comparative analysis. It investigates eight markets over 2005–2020 aiming to capture the impact of changing market conditions and degree of development. Findings: The results are in line with cross-country interdependence, where we observe more robust evidence for co-movement during adverse economic conditions with higher correlation compared to other periods such as the 2007–2009 US mortgage crises, 2010–2012 Euro crises and 2019 pandemic. Moreover, wavelet analysis suggests deposit rate lags FX rate and leads cross-country swap rate. The USA arguably leads the co-movement accompanied briefly by Japan and followed closely by other developed markets and later the developing markets. Heat maps suggest clustering of countries. Practical implications: The wavelet coherence's ability to indicate the periods and the frequencies of the relationship is essential to capture the true nature of the relationship. Such additional insight would enable the practitioners to determine the true price of the deposit rate. Originality/value: The study captures the long suggested collective nature of three main underlying determinants of bank deposit. The results shed light on the order of dynamics in a complex bank deposit environment. Comparative analysis further highlights the valuable insight quadruple wavelet coherence provides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The literature mostly investigates the impact of trade and financial integration on business cycle synchronization. The author differs by focusing on the real effective exchange rate as the target variable in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region. In particular, the author investigates synchronization by analyzing the short- and long-run dynamics of the real effective exchange rates of Canada, Mexico and the US for 2008–2019. Design/methodology/approach: The author first employs stationarity and cointegration tests to specify and estimate the long-run equilibrium relation between the real effective exchange rates of Canada, Mexico and the US. The author then specifies and estimates an error-correction model for each real effective exchange rate in order to investigate whether the adjustment in eliminating disequilibrium is asymmetric. Findings: The results indicate that the real effective exchange rates of Canada, Mexico and the US are cointegrated with only one long-run equilibrium relation. Canada's real effective exchange rate responds symmetrically to eliminate both negative and positive disequilibrium with a similar speed of adjustment. However, the response of Mexico's real effective exchange rate is asymmetric, as it responds to eliminate only positive disequilibrium. The US real effective exchange rate does not respond to disequilibrium, perhaps because it has a large economy with much stronger competition beyond the NAFTA region than both Canada and Mexico. Originality/value: This is the first study that investigates real effective exchange rate synchronization in the NAFTA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explain real exchange rate fluctuations by means of a model including both standard fundamentals and two alternative measures of inflation expectations for five inflation targeting countries (the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden) over the period January 1993–July 2019. Design/methodology/approach: Both a benchmark linear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) specification are considered. Findings: The results suggest that the nonlinear framework is more appropriate to capture the behaviour of real exchange rates given the presence of asymmetries both in the long and short run. In particular, the speed of adjustment towards the purchasing power parity (PPP) implied long-run equilibrium is three times faster in a nonlinear framework, which provides much stronger evidence in support of PPP. Moreover, inflation expectations play an important role, with survey-based ones having a more sizable effect than market-based ones. Originality/value: The focus on linearities and the estimation of a NARDL model, which is shown to outperform the linear ARDL model both within sample and out of sample, is an important contribution to the existing literature which has rarely applied this type of framework; the choice of an appropriate econometric method also makes the policy implications of the analysis more reliable; in particular, monetary authorities should aim to achieve a high degree of credibility to manage them and thus currency fluctuations effectively; the inflation targeting framework might be especially appropriate for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While monetary autonomy is self-explanatory for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin with predetermined supply path, it is of great interest to probe into the monetary structures of Stablecoins. In these supply contracts and expands and capital restrictions apply due to the existence of reserves as the exchange rate arrangement adheres to a price rule. Design/methodology/approach: Ever since the launch of Bitcoin and its offspring, examination of cryptocurrencies' trading activity from the empirical finance viewpoint has received much attention and continues to do so. The particular monetary arrangements found in Stable cryptocurrencies (colloquially referred to as Stablecoins), however, have not been properly (1) classified and (2) studied within an empirical international finance and banking context. This paper provides an empirical framework analogous to Impossible Trinity for exploring monetary arrangements across Stablecoins wherein reserves are held as price stability is targeted. Findings: The study findings of existence of the degree of achievement along the three dimensions of the Impossible Trinity hypothesis, namely monetary independence, exchange rate stability and financial openness for a representative sample able to cover all varieties of Stablecoins, provide fresh empirical insights and arguments to this growing literature with respect to the success of their embedded exchange rate stabilization mechanisms. While the hypothesis can be supported for all cryptocurrencies in question, the trade-off combination among exchange rate stability, capital openness and monetary independence varies with the categorical types of Stablecoins. Research limitations/implications: If Stable cryptocurrencies, therefore, claim the role of global monetary assets freed from sovereign limits and national boundaries, it is critical to explore whether they adhere to traditional monetary frameworks. It goes without saying that in this work the author does not use a complete catalogue of all the available Stablecoins, rather a complete catalogue of all the possible asset classes of Stablecoins. While there is a significant difficulty in finding Algorithmic Stablecoins and, so far, there is plethora of Stable Token initiatives, a broader sample to further examine these under this paper's empirical framework is suggested. Enrichment of the robustness analysis by constructing additional proxies, possibly building time series for the proposed cmo1 subindex and using additional estimation methods is encouraged. Practical implications: Stablecoins have been developed aiming to address the issue of excessive price variation in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Holders of Stablecoins enjoy the combined advantages of using a blockchain-based digital infrastructure in fulfilling the functions of store of value and media of exchange and of using a traditional currency, which merely plays the role of the unit of account (and in some circumstances the trusted reserve to which is convertible to). Understanding the varieties of Stablecoins and quantifying the components for success of their price stabilization may result in designing better Stablecoins. Social implications: Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have introduced new challenges to money and banking. Cryptocurrencies, which independently float such as Bitcoin, have gained the interest so far due to price variation that allows for gains. But these should be by far not considered to be a substitute to traditional means of payment. Lately, Stablecoins have increasingly gained attention for that USD Tether/Bitcoin pair (a Stablecoin pegged to the US dollar at parity) has outrun the US dollar/Bitcoin pair as the most traded pair in digital exchanges marking the strong position and high demand for Stablecoins. Originality/value: This approach uncovers the varieties of Stablecoins with respect to their monetary constraints compared to the rest of the cryptocurrencies, which independently float. In this paper, the author provides a conceptual framework for the analysis of the exchange rate mechanisms conditional on Stablecoin asset classes accompanied with an empirical study from the monetary viewpoint. This is the first work in this attempt. The empirical framework employed is analogous to the traditional theory of international monetary economics referred to as Impossible Trinityz. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/JES-06-2020-0279 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate international trade determinants, paying special attention to variables related to climate change and non-tariff measures (NTMs), as they shape more and more world trade flows, with particular incidence on globalised goods, such as wine. Design/methodology/approach: Based on panel data of Port wine exports to 60 countries, between 2006 and 2018, a gravity model has been estimated through Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood. Explanatory variables include NTMs, mean temperature, temperature anomaly, gross domestic product (GDP), exchange rate, ad valorem equivalent tariffs and home bias. Findings: The findings show that exports are inversely related to both mean temperature and temperature anomaly in importing countries. Regarding NTMs, it is found that only part of them are trade deterrent. Additionally, purchasing power in importing countries is one of the main determinants of Port wine exports. Research limitations/implications: The results show that, besides traditional economic variables, policymakers and wineries should include in their exports' decisions the impact of variables related to climate change and NTMs. Originality/value: The novelty of this paper is to incorporate the impact of climatic variability of importing countries as a determinant of international trade of wine. Most former studies inspired of the gravity model consider explanatory variables such as GDP and exchange rate, and more recent ones started to consider NTMs too, however, this study may be the first paper to include the impact of climate change (quantified by mean temperature and temperature anomaly in importing countries) on exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this paper, the authors study the long-run determinants of total factor productivity (TFP) in three major European economies over the period 1983–2017, namely Germany, France and Italy. Design/methodology/approach: The authors focus on the capital misallocation effects, scale effects and labor misallocation effects. To this end, the authors study how real interest rate shocks, real exchange rate shocks, real wage shocks and changes in labor regulation affected TFP in major European countries over the last decades. The authors employ a theoretical and an empirical model to investigate the issue. The empirical results are obtained using a VAR model for estimation. Findings: A stripped-down model of labor market in open economy with technology progress allows to identify the relevant variables affecting TFP. On the empirical ground, the authors find a positive relationship between TFP and real interest rate in the long run. Importantly, the authors detect a positive relationship between TFP and real exchange rate. Further, the authors show that the TFP can respond positively to a stricter labor market regulation and to a higher real compensation per employee. The results provide support to the idea that TFP has a positive relation with prices in the long run, while it may be biased along the cycle because of price rigidity. Research limitations/implications: The present model is stylized and may not capture all of the details of reality. The analysis should be extended to a larger number of countries. Technology progress could be proxied using different variables, as the R&D expenditure or the number of patents. Micro data, for specific sectors and industries, can improve the quality of the empirical investigation. Practical implications: Mainly the authors find that TFP has a positive relationship with price changes in the long run, while it may be biased along the cycle because of price stickiness. Capital misallocation and labor misallocation can negatively affect TFP. Thus, the observed divergences in European TFP can be traced back to the misallocation effects attributable to the decrease of real interest rate and real wages, together with the raising labor flexibility. Mainly, the authors detect a positive long-run relationship between TFP and real exchange rate. This outcome strengthens the supply-side view of the relationship between productivity and real exchange rate. Social implications: The authors believe that the present setup can be helpful to reflect critically on the nodes at the core of the productivity slowdown and asymmetries in the eurozone. The aim is to implement renewed policies in order to favor economic growth, convergence and stability in the euro area. Originality/value: This research addresses the issue of asymmetries among European economies by focusing on the role played by real prices in the long run. Traditionally, the dynamics of TFP have been attributed only to technological components, human capital and knowledge. This work shows that the dynamics of prices such as the real interest rate, the real exchange rate and the real wage can also influence the technological process by pushing the production system toward choices that are not always optimal for economic growth. An interesting result of this research concerns the positive relationship between real exchange rates and TFP in the long term, evidence of an important supply-side effect on the technological process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Credit rating agencies (CRAs) are perceived as highly influential in the financial system since their announcements can affect several players in the financial markets, from big private financial and non-financial companies and their financial markets experts to sovereign states. In this sense, this study investigates whether sovereign credit news issued by CRAs (measured by comprehensive credit rating (CCR) variables) affect the uncertainties about the exchange rate in the future (captured by the disagreement about exchange rate expectations). The study is relevant once there is evidence indicating that CRAs' assessments are responsible for affecting international capital flows and, thus, sovereign rating changes can affect the expectations formation process regarding the exchange rate. In addition, there is evidence indicating that the disagreement about exchange rate expectations affects the disagreement about inflation expectations, which brings consequences to policymakers. Design/methodology/approach: The dependent variables are the disagreement in expectations about the Brazilian exchange rate for different forecast horizons, 12, 24 and 36 months ahead and the first principal component of theses series. On the other hand, the CCR variables are built upon the long-term foreign-currency Brazilian bonds ratings, outlooks and credit watches provided by the main CRAs. Estimates are obtained using ordinary least squares (OLS) and generalized method of moments (GMM); a dynamic analysis is performed using vector-autoregressive (VAR) through impulse-response functions. Findings: Negative (positive) sovereign credit news, given by a rating downgrade (upgrade) and/or a negative (positive) outlook/watch status, increase (decrease) the disagreement about exchange rate expectations. This result holds for all disagreement and CCR variables. Practical implications: The study brings practical implications to both private agents (mainly financial market experts) and policymakers. An important practical implication of the study concerns the ability of CRAs to affect the expectations formation process of financial market experts regarding the future behavior of the exchange rate. When a CRA issues a signal of improvement in a country's sovereign rating, this signal reflects the perception of improvement in macroeconomic fundamentals and reduction of uncertainties about the country's ability to honor its financial obligations, which therefore, facilitates the expectations formation process, causing a reduction in the disagreement about the exchange rate expectations. With respect to the consequences for policymakers, they will have more difficulty in guiding expectations in a country with a worse sovereign risk rating, where agents have difficulties in forming expectations and the disagreement in expectations is greater. Originality/value: The study is the first to analyze the impact of CRAs' announcements on the disagreement about exchange rate expectations. Moreover, it connects the literature that investigates the effects of sovereign credit news on the economy with the literature that examines the main determinants of disagreement in expectations about macroeconomic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper explores abnormal price changes in the FOREX by using both daily and intraday data on the EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCAD, AUDUSD and EURJPY exchange rates over the period 01.01.2008–31.12.2018. Design/methodology/approach: It applies a dynamic trigger approach to detect abnormal price changes and then various statistical methods, including cumulative abnormal returns analysis, to test the following hypotheses: the intraday behaviour of hourly returns on overreaction days is different from that on normal days (H1), there are detectable patterns in intraday price dynamics on days with abnormal price changes (H2) and on the following days (H3). Findings: The results suggest that there are statistically significant differences between intraday dynamics on days with abnormal price changes and normal days respectively; also, prices tend to change in the direction of the abnormal change during that day, but move in the opposite direction on the following day. Finally, there exist trading strategies that generate abnormal profits by exploiting the detected anomalies, which can be seen as evidence of market inefficiency. Originality/value: New evidence on abnormal price changes and related trading strategies in the FOREX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between the trade-weighted dollar exchange rates and the oil prices in the world market. Monthly data during 1980–2017 are used for this purpose. Design/methodology/approach: The symmetric and asymmetric generalized impulse response functions are estimated for these important economic indicators. Findings: The empirical findings show that if the dollar rate increases (i.e. the dollar depreciates), the oil price will increase. The reverse relationship is also supported empirically meaning that an increase in the oil price will results in a significant depreciation of the dollar rate. Based on the asymmetric impulses responses, it can also be claimed that the negative interaction is only significant for the positive changes and not for the negative ones. Thus, the underlying variables are negatively interrelated only for the positive shocks since a negative shock from any variable does not seem to have any significant impact on the other variable. These results have implications for cross hedging of price risk. Originality/value: To the best knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the dollar weighted exchange rate and the oil pieces via the asymmetric impulse response functions. Both of these variables and their interactions are very important for investors as well as policy makers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose is to assess the asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on the trade balance using data from African nations. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is based on the most recent development in asymmetry cointegration and error-correction modeling. Findings: While the authors find short-run asymmetric effects in many of the countries in their sample, asymmetry cointegration yields support for the new definition of the J-curve in Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Morocco, Tanzania and Zambia. Originality/value: This is the first study that applies nonlinear ARDL approach of Shin et al. (2014) using data from each of the 13 countries in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to examine whether the classification of industries into the tradable and nontradable matters for the Balassa–Samuelson (BS) effect. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses annual data for 38 countries from 1995 to 2014. To examine whether the classification of industries matter, the study proceeds with two approaches, that is, "traditional" and "benchmark". Findings: First, by applying panel cointegration tests of Pedroni and Westerlund, the results validate the BS hypothesis. However, the coefficients of long-run elasticities show appreciation of real exchange rate (RER) due to increase in productivity in the case of "traditional approach", whereas depreciation of RER in the case of "benchmark approach". Second, by applying the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel Granger causality test, the results reveal the bi-directional causality among RER and productivity for both the approaches. Further, to provide more insights, the study employs a fixed-effects panel threshold model. The results indicate that increase in productivity leads to both appreciation and depreciation of RER depending on threshold regimes. Practical implications: The study ascertains that the evidence of BS effect depends on the choice of approach considered. However, irrespective of the classification, there exists a BS effect beyond a threshold. Originality/value: Although the BS effect is well established in the literature; there is no study examining the importance of classification of industries at a disaggregated level. Furthermore, there is no consideration of threshold effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study empirically examines the effect of capital controls on the volume and composition of capital flows at aggregated as well as at disaggregated level by different asset classes such as debt, FDI, equity, and derivatives. Design/methodology/approach: Several dynamic panel SYS-GMM models are employed on two sets of unique data on cross-border capital flows and capital control index along with control variables at aggregated and disaggregated level by different asset classes during 1995–2015 for a sample of 31 Asian economies. Findings: Econometric findings suggest that higher capital controls effectively reduce gross capital flows. The reduction in gross capital flows is largely found to be on account of effectiveness of controls on equity flows. However, the impact of controls on overall debt and derivative flows is found to be insignificant. Further, it was found that an increase in direct capital controls disaggregated by inflow and outflow categories significantly reduced the inflow of debt and equity + FDI flows and outflow of equity + FDI and derivative flows. Finally, the study did not find any substitution effect (due to indirect controls) and net effect on capital flows. Practical implications: Results of such empirical examination may enable governments in respective countries to pursue prudent and rational capital controls as a shield against capital flight and shock transmission. Social implications: Preventing capital flight through effective controls has macroeconomic benefits such as maintaining stability in income, growth, interest rate, exchange rate, and employment levels for the society. Originality/value: The primary contribution of the study is the analysis of effectiveness of capital controls disaggregated by different asset categories such as debt, equity, FDI, and derivatives using two unique recent data sets for a large sample of Asian economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the long-term nature of the interrelationship between interest rate and exchange rate. Design/methodology/approach: By employing Mexican data, the authors estimate a non-linear autoregressive distributed lags (NARDL) model to investigate the nature of the changes and the interaction between interest rate and exchange rate in response to monetary authorities' actions. Findings: The results show that, contrary to simplistic predictions, the real exchange rate causes the real interest rate in an asymmetric way. The bounds testing approach of the NARDL models suggests the presence of co-integration among the variables and the exchange rate variations appear to have significant long-run effects on the interest rate. Most importantly, these effects are asymmetric and positive variations in the exchange rate have a lower impact on the interest rate. It is also interesting to report that the reverse is not true: the interest rate in the long-run exerts no statistical significant impact on the exchange rate. Practical implications: The asymmetric long-term relationship between real exchange rate and real interest rate is evidence of why monetary authorities are reluctant to free float exchange rate. In Mexico, as in most developing countries, monetary policy strongly responds to exchange rate movements because these have relevant effects on commercial trade. Moreover, in dollarized economies these effects are stronger because of pass-through impacts to inflation, income distribution and balance-sheet equilibrium (the well-known "original sin"). Originality/value: Under inflation targeting and flexible exchange rate regime, despite central banks pursue the control of short-term interest rate, in the long-run one could observe that it is the exchange rate that influences the interest rate, and that this reverse causality is stronger in emerging economies. This paper contributes by analysing the asymmetric relationship between the variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential non-linear relationship between family ownership as a governance mechanism and exchange rate exposure of firms that use financial hedging. Design/methodology/approach: The exchange rate exposure is estimated using two-factor Jorion (1990) model for a sample of 312 Indian firms over the period from 2001 to 2016. The cross-sectional regression model is used at the second stage to investigate the effects of family ownership on exposure for the firms that use currency derivatives. Findings: The results suggest a significant non-linear cubic relationship between family ownership and exchange rate exposure. Exchange rate exposure increases with family ownership at low and high levels (as a result of improper hedging) and decreases with family ownership at intermediate levels (as a consequence of value-enhancing hedging). Practical implications: The study has practical significance for firms to understand the circumstances in which currency derivatives usage is ineffective in alleviating exposure. Firms that have high or low family ownership should integrate operational hedges with financial hedges and should incorporate other firm-level governance mechanisms to avoid the misuse of derivatives. Originality/value: This study provides new evidence that the relationship between family ownership and exchange rate exposure is non-linear for firms that use financial hedging which has not been investigated before in the prior literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the context of debate on competitive devaluation and trade imbalances, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of exchange rate misalignment as a determinant of trade imbalances in selected major trade surplus (Germany, China, Japan, Russia and KSA) and major trade deficit countries (USA, UK, France, India and Turkey). Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a structural vector auto-regressive model on data from ten countries with the highest trade deficit and surplus. The period of analysis is from 2000 Q1 to 2016 Q1. Findings: The key findings suggest that although exchange rate misalignment from equilibrium may have some implications for the current account balance for surplus and deficit countries, the effects observed were rather very mild and transitory. There was a heterogeneity in the response of the current account position to exchange rate misalignment in each country, concomitantly; the exchange rate misalignment shall not be seen as the sole responsible factor in the debate on global trade imbalances. Research limitations/implications: The research has profound implications in terms of exploring the notion of competitive devaluation and exchange rate misalignment as a cause of major global trade imbalances. Practical implications: This study has important practical implications for the trade policy of major economies in the world. These are twofold. First, this study has analysed and reported on the degree of misalignment of exchange from its equilibrium values in the major trade surplus and deficit countries. Second, it has investigated the implications of any misalignment for the trade balance or respective economies. Social implications: There are important social implications as the notion of competitive devaluation and exchange rate–trade balance nexus has been heavily politicised. This study provides an empirical insight and an answer to these claims which have social and political implications. Originality/value: There is a significant element of originality and contribution to the existing body of knowledge on the subject. In the context of debate on competitive devaluation this is the first study which has investigated whether the exchange rate has been misaligned from its equilibrium values (competitive devaluation) and whether there is some nexus between the real exchange rate misalignment and trade imbalances in under-analysis economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This is a theoretical paper in the field of international macroeconomics. The purpose of this paper is to focus on a dynamic interaction between current account imbalance and unemployment in response to some policy-induced shocks for a small open economy under a flexible exchange rate. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses a two-sector framework: one sector is traded and another is the non-traded sector that is subject to an effective demand constraint. The current account imbalance arises due to the discrepancy between production of traded goods, household consumption of traded goods and government purchases of importables. The authors keep the asset structure simple by considering only domestic currency and foreign bonds that are imperfect substitutes. The paper considers a standard methodology of dynamic adjustment process involving change in foreign exchange reserves and exchange rate under perfect foresight. The saddle path properties of the equilibrium are also examined. Findings: The results of comparative static exercises depend on a set of structural features of a developing country, which include asset substitutability, wage price rigidity and sectoral asymmetries. The paper shows that expansionary monetary policy, balanced budget fiscal expansion and financial liberalization have an ambiguous effect on the current account balance, foreign exchange reserves, non-traded sector and the level of employment. Originality/value: The existence of Keynesian unemployment with fixed prices is the key ingredient of this paper. The paper introduces the problem of effective demand to analyze the dynamics of current account balance and exchange rate, which, in turn, determine the sectoral composition of output and level of employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new framework to test the hypothesis that portfolio model predicts a negative correlation between stock prices and exchange rates in a trivariate transmission channel for foreign portfolio equity investment.Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes panel data for eight economies to extend the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) Granger non-causality test of heterogeneous panels to a trivariate model by integrating the Toda and Yamamoto (1995) approach to Granger causality.Findings The evidence suggests that stock prices Granger-cause exchange rates and portfolio equity flows Granger-cause exchange rates. However, the overall panel evidence casts doubt on the explicit trivariate model of portfolio balance model. The study shows that Indonesia may be the only case where stock prices affect exchange rates through portfolio equity flows.Research limitations/implications The proposed test does not account for potential asymmetries or structural shifts associated with the crisis period. To isolate the impact of the Asian Financial crisis, this paper rather splits the sample period into two sub-periods: pre- and post-crises. The sample period and countries are also limited due to the use of the balance of payment statistics.Practical implications The study casts doubt on the maintained hypothesis of a trivariate transmission channel, as posited by the portfolio model. Policy makers of an economy may integrate capital market and fiscal policies in order to maintain stable exchange rate.Originality/value This paper integrates a portfolio equity inflow variable into a single framework with stock price and exchange rate variables. It extends the Dumitrescu and Hurlin's (2012) bivariate stationary Granger non-causality test in heterogeneous panels to a trivariate setting in the framework of Toda and Yamamoto (1995). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the effect of policy and exchange rate uncertainty shocks on EU countries' exports to the world economy. The authors examine the performance of the four biggest economies, namely Germany, France, Italy and the UK, under policy and exchange rate uncertainty in exports to some of the most important global export destinations (the USA, Japan, Brazil, Russia and China).Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, the authors apply a non-linear model, where suddenly strong spurts of exports occur when changes of the exchange rate go beyond a zone of inaction, which the authors call "play" area – analogous to mechanical play. The authors implement an algorithm describing path-dependent play hysteresis into a regression framework. The hysteretic impact of real exchange rates on exports is estimated based on the period from 1995M1 to 2015M12.Findings Looking at some of the main export destinations of the selected EU member countries, the USA, Japan and some of the members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia and China), the authors identify significant hysteretic effects for a large part of the EU member countries' exports. The authors find that their export activity is characterized by "bands of inaction" with respect to changes in the real exchange. To check for robustness, the authors estimate export equations for limited samples: excluding the recent financial crisis and excluding the period up to the burst of the dotcom bubble and September 11. In addition, the authors employ an economic policy uncertainty variable and an exchange rate uncertainty variable as determinants of the width of the area of weak reaction of exports.Research limitations/implications Overall, the authors find that those specifications which take uncertainty into account display the highest goodness of fit, with economic policy uncertainty dominating exchange rate uncertainty. In other words, the option value of waiting dominates the real exchange rate effect on the EU member countries' exports.Practical implications The existence of "bands of inaction" (called "play") in EU member countries' exports should lead to a more objective discussion of peaks and troughs in those countries' real exchange rates and, more specifically, of the relevance of internal and external devaluation and other indicators to gain international competitiveness on exports in political debates. If policy and/or exchange rate uncertainty are diminished, one may expect an earlier boost in exports, if the home currency is devaluing in real terms.Social implications The results are useful as arguments in the debate about exchange rate pain threshold vs export triggers.Originality/value The authors focus on the export performance of the four biggest economies in the European Union, namely Germany, France, Italy and the UK. The authors examine their respective export performance, as an innovation, under policy and exchange rate uncertainty and, for this purpose, look at some of the most important global export destinations (the USA, Japan and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia and China)). The authors do so, also as an innovation, by differentiating between intervals of weak and strong reaction of their exports to real exchange rate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of real exchange rate misalignment on economy and economic sectors, namely construction, manufacturing and mining and quarrying in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach The equilibrium real exchange rate and economic models are estimated using the autoregressive distributed lag approach.Findings An increase in productivity differential or reserve differential will lead to an appreciation of real exchange rate in the long run. An increase in positive (negative) real exchange rate misalignment will lead to an increase (decrease) in economy. An increase in long-run real exchange rate misalignment will lead to a decrease in economy. Real exchange rate misalignment or long-run real exchange rate misalignment can influence the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. More specifically, undervaluation will promote whereas overvaluation will hurt the manufacturing sector.Originality/value Real exchange rate misalignment can be a policy to influence economy but may not be the best choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of exchange rate exposure and its relationship with currency derivatives usage in the dynamic environment of the global financial crisis of 2008.Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 624 Indian firms over the period of April 2001–March 2016, this paper investigates the linear and asymmetric exposure by dividing the full sample period into different sub-periods around the crisis.Findings The evidence presented in the paper suggests that the firms are more exposed to the exchange rate changes since the onset of the financial crisis. However, there is a lack of evidence that the usage of currency derivatives is more effective in reducing exposure during the crisis/post-crisis period as opposed to the pre-crisis period.Practical implications The findings are important to investors and managers for a better understanding of firm behaviours in relation to their risk management policies during the period of external shocks like crisis.Originality/value There is a paucity of research to explore whether the effect of currency derivatives usage on exchange rate exposure varies during external shocks such as crisis periods. The paper provides novel evidence that the effectiveness of derivatives usage in alleviating exposure becomes less during the dynamic environment of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of exchange rate shock on the broad spectrum of the US economy using a factor-augmented VAR model (FAVAR).Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a two-factor FAVAR model and estimated it with the single-step Bayesian likelihood approach using the Gibbs sampling technique. The two factors represented, respectively, the economic activity and price pressures. The exchange rate shock was identified with the Choleski decomposition method for VARs. The authors used the data of 117 time series for the period from 1973:02 to 2007:12. Impulse responses and variance decompositions were computed as the main results.Findings The authors found that exchange rate shock has pervasive effects on the US economy as the following: depreciation does not appear to help reduce the US trade deficit as both import and export rise with the depreciation shock; in the short run, depreciation appears expansionary as industrial production, manufacturing and employment all increase within a year; in the medium run, depreciation appears inflationary, as consumer price, producer price, import price and export price all increase; and in the medium run, depreciation appears contractionary as personal consumption, consumer confidence, stock price and housing start tend to fall.Research limitations/implications Some caveats remain: first, our simple model symmetrically estimates depreciation shock and appreciation shock and, hence, cannot draw inferences for how exchange rate appreciation and depreciation may affect the US economy asymmetrically. Second, the simple model used did not distinguish the different possible sources of exchange rate depreciation shock, the knowledge of which may lead to richer policy implications and is the direction of research for the future.Originality/value This research contributes to the literature of whether exchange rate is expansionary or contractionary to the US economy using the FAVAR model. This is the first comprehensive study in the literature studying the pervasive effects of the exchange rate on the broad spectrum of the US economy in one integrated model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding of effects of International Clearing Unions on the exchange market pressure (EMP). Using Asian Clearing Union (ACU) as an example of a typical International Clearing Union, the authors infers that ACU has not been very successful in synchronizing the EMP in the region. Other countries that are not members of such clearing union but are interested in monetary cooperation with other countries should consider the behavior of their EMP indices before attempting any form of integration. The study also provides a generic methodology for using EMP as an indicator for predicting the feasibility of monetary cooperation across countries.Design/methodology/approach An EMP model using the median absolute deviation is derived to reflect the policy preferences of each country. The weights for change in foreign reserves and interest rate differential are derived using analytical models. The index is then applied to ACU as a case study using monthly data from 2006 to 2015 for Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran. The descriptive statistics are studied to find the possibility of short-run relationship between the exchange rates, foreign exchange reserves and interest rate differential. The longitudinal data set generated is checked for cointegration to evaluate the EMPs of the countries.Findings The study finds that the EMP of ACU members’ shows similarity only in short-term movement but have no cointegration of EMP indices indicating the absence of long-term relationship. The absence of long-term cointegration of EMP for ACU members also indicates that ICU membership may not necessarily lead to similarity in exchange rate policies that facilitate the formation of a currency union. Creation of an ICU is not a sufficient condition for the formation of a currency union. The study also finds that the sample countries have faced persistent depreciation pressures in the period. The preferred tool for the management of EMP is direct intervention by sale and purchase of foreign currency. Interest rate changes are found to have the most significant effect on EMP.Research limitations/implications The EMP model limits itself only to the study of exchange rates, foreign reserves and interest rates. Exchange rate variation and policy responses there to are known to be driven by other factors such as speculation, political factors, autonomous capital flows and micro-level dynamics of exchange markets like order flows among others. The EMP model is a simplification of the market dynamics and does not look for associations on the account of these factors. The model is evaluated for only one ICU where member countries regulate exchange rates. The study of ICUs that comprises free float currencies and pegged currencies may yield different results.Practical implications Results indicate that the member of any ICU such as ACU cannot assume that its participation will serve as a foundation for creating higher forms of economic unions such as currency unions. In the absence of any long-term relationship between the EMP of countries, any attempt by these countries may cause the exchange rates to deviate further. This leads to the conclusion that the members of ACU should avoid any attempts to form currency unions or use a common currency for its settlement.Social implications Various countries that are considering the formation of currency union or the use of a common currency peg may like to examine its feasibility using EMP as a tool. Using EMP, they may be able to derive short-term and long-term strategies for pursuing their objectives.Originality/value There are few other studies that use EMP as an index for measuring the feasibility of formation of a currency union among countries that are the member of an ICU. While earlier studies apply EMP to a group of countries, none attempt to modify the index to reflect the EMP that is likely to affect central bank policy action. Few studies have attempted to use EMP to study the feasibility of formation of a currency union in South Asia based on exchange rate markets itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the foreign direct investment (FDI)–exports relationship in Nigeria using disaggregated FDI and export data.Design/methodology/approach This paper applies the autoregressive distributed lag cointegration approach in examining the long-run relationship between FDI and exports.Findings The results suggest that aggregate FDI has a positive and statistically significant long-run impact on total exports. Once exports are disaggregated into oil and non-oil exports, the positive, cointegrating relationship holds only for oil exports. When disaggregated by sector, primary sector and manufacturing sector FDI have a positive and significant long-run relationship with both total exports and oil exports but service sector FDI does not appear to have any significant influence on Nigerian exports.Originality/value This is the first paper that employs both sectoral FDI and disaggregated export data to examine the FDI–exports nexus in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the period of uncertainty created by the referendum. The focus is the UK real effective exchange rate (REER). The authors set out to measure the additional impact of the uncertainty surrounding the referendum. The authors distinguish this from the longer trend value of Sterling.Design/methodology/approach The study applies a reduced form exchange rate model, first introduced by Edwards (1994), and makes use of Bank of England daily data for the period November 2015–July 2016.Findings The results indicate a sharp depreciation of Sterling with reference to its long-term trend. The authors set out some of the possible context which may account for fluctuations during the referendum campaigning period. This can be distinguished from other longer-term factors likely to be previously responsible for trend depreciation, and also from the further sharp depreciation effects triggered by the referendum outcome. The principal finding is that during the week of the referendum, up to the declaration of the result, exchange rate depreciation deviated from the long-run trend by approximately 3.5 per cent, but the actual immediate effect on the exchange rate was an 8 per cent depreciation. Over the period from the announcement of the referendum, the exchange rate fluctuated markedly around its trend and one can also identify a larger effect based on the “wrong-footing” of markets at the point when the outcome was announced.Research limitations/implications The research has important implications, as one might further infer that this marks a step change in attitudes to Sterling as Brexit became a real issue rather than a notional concern. One can thus consider the exchange rate as both symptom of and indicator for determinations of the underlying economic strength or weakness of the economy. In essence, it has acted as a litmus test.Practical implications The research has important practical implications in understanding the dynamics of the exchange rate market and the role of uncertainty in its dynamics.Social implications The study has important social implications as the changes to exchange rates are a perennial cause for concern. Exchange rates sit as one among many problems for the contemporary UK economy. Brexit has resulted in a significant subsequent depreciation of Sterling. Inter alia, though the immediate effect of Brexit on growth was muted due to unexpected sustained consumer spending, throughout the latter half of 2016 and the first two quarters of 2017, business investment slowed, the rate of deficit reduction slowed (but without any concomitant meaningfully rise in government investment in infrastructure, etc.) and both main measures of inflation began to rise.Originality/value The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by exploring the period of uncertainty created by the referendum and its implications for the UK REER. The study differentiates and reflects on the weakness of Sterling due to the weak external position of UK’s economy and the further role played by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. In this sense, it important contribution to theory as well as practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on Thailand’s trade balances.Design/methodology/approach The design methodology is based on the nonlinear ARDL approach of Shin et al. (2014).Findings The authors find strong support for the asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on the Thailand trade balance with most partners, including the three largest partners, China, Japan and the USA.Research limitations/implications The long-run asymmetric effects revealed that while baht depreciation will hurt Thailand’s trade balance with China, it will improve its trade balance with the USA and has no effects with Japan.Practical implications The trade balance of different partners reacts differently to currency depreciation.Social implications A currency depreciation that improves the trade balance by promoting exports also helps to reduce the rate of unemployment.Originality/value No study has assessed the asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on the Thailand’s trade balance with its major partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the implications of exchange rate depreciation for inflation targeting and trade balance of UK in the context of the Brexit epoch.Design/methodology/approach The study employed a time-varying structural vector auto-regression (TVSVAR) model framework in which the sources of time variation were both the coefficients and variance-covariance matrix of the innovations on the data from January 1989 to September 2016.Findings The findings suggest that the depreciation of the Stirling has significant effects on inflation and trade balance in UK in context of Brexit epoch. It also showed that such a depreciation can be helpful in the improvement of external balance as well as steering the inflation to its statutory target. Despite, the inflation targeting, there is strong evidence of a pass-through.Research limitations/implications Research has profound implications in terms of the sharp depreciation of GBP associated with the Brexit outcome. The study is very topical and could be very interesting to the readership of JES as well as wider audience. The study has limitations in a context that the significance of the results and association of the under analysis entities is contingent on the future trade relationships and Channel between UK and EU. Therefore, although there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of Britain trade relationships, this study provides guidance on the importance of exchange rate channel if the similar trade arrangements prevails in the post-Brexit era.Practical implications The research has profound practical implications, using a TVSVAR model in which the relationship among the entities varies over time; it has shown the importance of exchange rate in terms of external balance and inflation targeting. Hence, it has appeal for the practitioners as well as academics.Social implications The research has great social implications. The Brexit is the biggest political and economic event of this era for UK and EU. There are big questions about the relationship between UK and EU in the post-Brexit epoch as well as questions about the future of the European integration. In this context, this study has shown that how the exchange rate could play an important role for the UK economy when its contemporary trade channels prevail. Concomitantly, it has social implications particularly for the European society.Originality/value The research is an original piece of work. It has contributed to the debate on the exchange rate deprecation, external balance and inflation targeting in context of the Brexit associated sharp depreciation of Stirling. It has used a framework, i.e. TVSVAR, which also have unique features in terms of testing the associations among under analysis entities against time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Offering an example of a small open developing economy, the purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons for relative stability in Armenia's foreign exchange market. Relying on a single currency and derived cross-currency exchange rates, the paper models short-term effects between exchange market pressure and financial and macroeconomic factors. Design/methodology/approach - Following a literature review, the paper sets the macroeconomic context with an initial variance comparison of standard currency pairs and derived cross-currency exchange rates. Then, the core analysis is carried out with a vector error correction model, focusing on short-term cross-dynamics in monthly data. The orthogonal impulse response function analyses help solidify and further inform relevant conclusions. Findings - Three broad factors influence Armenia's foreign exchange market: external push factors; domestic banking sector competition, and foreign currency risk perceptions; and domestic macroeconomic and dual, cross-pair, exchange rate target priorities. The central bank's implicit management of the foreign exchange market's expectations, pull factor, is consistent with trader market power's contribution to lower volatility. Yet, the risk of financial and real-sector decoupling remains. Originality/value - The results are relevant for emerging markets attempting to leverage the global liquidity and low interest rates, while being exposed to external pressures in the post-crisis environment, in which international reserves may be scarce while currency stability is an implied priority. This study can be further adapted to a more comprehensive structural short-term analysis of currency determination or similar dynamics in other small open economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover the channels through which real exchange rate undervaluation influences the performance of the South African economy.Design/methodology/approach The author decomposes the South African economy into three sectors: agriculture, industry, and services. Specifying a model for each sector, the author employs the ordinary least squares (with Newey-West and robust standard errors) and generalized method of moments estimation techniques. The annual time series data cover the period 1962-2014.Findings The author finds that real exchange rate undervaluation exerted a positive influence on agriculture and industry, and a negative impact on services.Research limitations/implications The results have practical policy implications, which are discussed in the paper.Originality/value Although the growth effect of real exchange rate undervaluation has been well established in the literature, the channels through which this occurs has received limited attention. Prior to this study, no study has considered the impact of real exchange rate undervaluation on the economy through the various sectors in the South African context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate contagion across eight major exchange rates by providing more information on the role of information spillovers.Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis makes use of two methodologies that capture channels of contagion. Such methodologies explicitly consider information spillovers characterized by the response of currency markets to real-time macroeconomic surprises, i.e., divergences between expectations and realizations.Findings The empirical findings denote the presence of contagion effects, originating from information spillovers.Practical implications The empirical findings provide insight about how to derive appropriate policy responses, which are crucial for policymakers to understand the source and nature of such exposures, while this insight might have some bearing with respect to the choice of an exchange-rate regime. The results from this paper may also have implications for investors in relevance to portfolio re-balancing and the construction of optimal portfolio diversification strategies.Originality/value This is the first empirical attempt that explores the role of informational spillovers in exchange rate markets and also explores the employment of advanced econometric methodologies to satisfy the above research goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose After the fall of fix exchange rate regime in early 1970s, the nexus between the exchange rate volatility and trade flows has been of a great interest to the policy makers and researchers. Resultantly an extensive literature is available on the topic. However, the research findings are inconclusiveness so far. The purpose of this paper is to examine the exchange-rate volatility and bilateral industry trade link between the two important countries of Southeast Asia, i.e. Malaysia and Thailand.Design/methodology/approach This study employs Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) (1, 1) to measure exchange rate volatility and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to study the relationship between exchange rate volatility and trade flows. ARDL approach is suitable to accommodate the mix cases (i.e. stationary and first difference stationary). The paper considers 62 Malaysian exporting and 60 Malaysian importing industries with Thailand over the monthly period 2000-2013.Findings Findings suggest the influence of exchange-rate volatility on the trade flows in a limited number of industries. Large industries like instruments and apparatus experience negative influence from exchange-rate volatility.Originality/value Past literature continued to be inconclusiveness on the nexus between exchange-rate volatility and trade flows due to its over-reliance on the aggregated data. Besides, the past studies are more based on quarterly or yearly frequency data. These issues contribute to the aggregation bias. This research focusses on a country bilateral trade pair, using industry level disaggregated monthly data. Such research is rare in Malaysian-Thai bilateral trade context. This study uses a suitable estimation approach and also draws valuable implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The concept of co-movement has witnessed a resurgence in the international finance literature in recent years after the black swan events. This might be due to a renewed focus on globalization and financial market integration in the world over. The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic linkages in the foreign exchange market resulting from recent globalization and financial market integration in Africa.Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework was adapted from the extant literature and was used as the basis of modeling foreign exchange market in Africa. This paper adopts a quantitative research approach and opted for dynamic panel data analysis to empirically unearth the determinants of foreign exchange market co-movement.Findings It is interesting to note that exchange rate co-movements were externally determined. Robust support was found for trade intensity, competition and world interest rate on foreign exchange rates co-movement, but regional interest rate differential decreased it. These findings clearly demonstrate the level of financial development and challenges that sometimes exist in exchange rate policy implementation by policy makers in Africa.Research limitations/implications Future research might incorporate bilateral investment into the model of exchange rate correlation.Originality/value Studies focussing on simultaneous consideration of intensity, trade competition and capital account openness to exchange rate correlations in the contexts of Africa are almost non-existent, and this study makes an important contribution in not only addressing this imbalance but also more importantly improving the relatively parsimonious literature on foreign exchange co-movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the conduct of monetary policy in Brazil and estimate the country’s neutral real interest rate.Design/methodology/approach The authors make use of a state-space macroeconomic model representation.Findings The period of analysis goes from 2003 up to the end of 2013 and the results show that the country’s natural rate of interest was around 4.2 percent in December 2013.Originality/value One of the main differences of this work is the inclusion of variables such as the real exchange rate and world interest rate. This is important because these variables play an important role in the definition of the interest rate and, consequently, in the definition of the neutral interest rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Recent turbulence in global financial markets implies that emerging economies are likely to soon enter a new era with greater pressure for currency depreciation and capital outflows. This will likely bring challenges, including macroeconomic instability and inflationary pressures due to potential rapid depreciation. In this context, certain key questions about emerging economies have become focal points of discussion in political and academic spheres: what are the effects of exchange rate depreciation on economic activity? Does exchange rate depreciation create inflationary pressure? Finding answers to these questions is critical for policymakers and financial market participants. As such, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on these questions and thus provides guidance on mitigating the negative impacts of shocks in four fast-growing emerging economies.Design/methodology/approach The authors use a vector autoregression model with sign restrictions to examine the dynamic effects of exchange rate movements on fundamental macroeconomic indicators for four fast-growing countries, namely, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, and South Africa. Following Berument et al. (2012a), Ncube and Ndou (2013), Bjørnland and Halvorsen (2013), and An et al. (2014), the authors adopt the sign restriction methodology to identify exchange rate shocks alongside other macroeconomic shocks (monetary policy and productivity shocks) leading to exchange rate fluctuations.Findings The results show that exchange rate depreciation typically generates a deep recession and high inflation while improving the trade balance in the four emerging economies. This indicates that depreciation has strong “stagflationary” effects, which are transmitted to the macroeconomy primarily via supply-side channels, especially through the cost of import. Furthermore, the authors find that monetary policy reacts immediately to a domestic currency depreciation in all four emerging countries.Practical implications The results imply that these countries’ monetary policies are not and cannot be neutral to exchange rate shocks. However, in these import-dependent countries, monetary tightening (i.e. rate hikes in response to an exchange rate shock) plays a limited role in mitigating the negative effects of depreciation on inflation and economic activity due to the presence of a dominant supply-side channel. In this framework, policymakers should pay greater attention to structural reforms that aim to reduce import dependency. These reforms may increase the effectiveness of domestic monetary policy in mitigating the negative effects of external shocks.Originality/value This paper provides a useful perspective for policymakers designing economic interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of exchange rate depreciation and to those who borrow or lend in domestic or international financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of real effective exchange rate (REER) volatility on export volume and also to address the impact of the international financial crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical methodology is based on System GMM estimation for a set of 106 countries for the period of 2000-2011. Findings – For the complete sample of countries and for a set of developing/emerging economies, there is evidence that an increase (decrease) in REER volatility reduces (increases) export volume. The results are not robust once the oil export countries are removed from the sample. The estimated coefficients for the financial crisis dummy are positive and statistically significant, indicating that export volume were 0.14 percent higher after the financial crisis of 2008 compared to the previous period (2000-2007). There is also evidence that the export volume is price (REER) and income (trade weighted) inelastic. Research limitations/implications – The empirical results are valid for the complete set of countries and for developing and emerging economies when including the oil export countries, suggesting that countries should reduce exchange rate volatility in order to foster their export volume and that oil export countries have an important role on these results. Practical implications – The paper suggests that policymakers should adopt different policies to minimize exchange rate volatility if they seek to increase export volume. The international financial crisis had a significant impact on export volume in all estimated models regardless of the set of countries used. Originality/value – One of the main novelties of this work is that it deals with possible endogeneity using GMM estimators and addresses the issue of instrument proliferation, which is not a common feature of previous empirical studies on exchange rate volatility and trade flows. Another original aspect of the research is the construction of trade weighted variables for foreign income and REER based on the major 20 export partners for each country used in the panel data estimation. The work also incorporates the years following the international financial crisis of 2008, which is an additional empirical novelty, in order to address the impact of the international financial crisis on the export volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of the real exchange rate on investment in the Brazilian manufacturing industry. Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop an investment model that considers the effect of changes in the real exchange rate, taking into account that the effect of the real exchange rate on the Brazilian manufacturing investment operates through demand and cost channels. The composition of these effects varies across manufacturing sectors, with different repercussions on investment decisions, depending on sectoral characteristics. A panel data analysis is applied to estimate the model for the Brazilian manufacturing sectors from 1996 to 2010. Findings – One main result is that the responsiveness of the Brazilian manufacturing investment to real exchange rate varies considerably across manufacturing sectors. Overall, the results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between exchange rate dynamics, manufacturing investment and industrial development, thus unveiling important empirical elements for the debate on industrial policies to stimulate manufacturing investment and production. Originality/value – As the (scant) empirical literature on real exchange rate and investment in Brazil has invariably been using aggregate data, this paper contributes to the literature by obtaining sectoral estimates of the responsiveness of manufacturing investment to exchange rate fluctuations that further the understanding of the complex relationship between these economic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The authors analyse the relationship between the South African real exchange rate and economic fundamentals – demand, supply and nominal shocks. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a time-varying parameter VAR to study the coherence, conditional volatility and impulse responses of the exchange rate over specific periods and policy regimes. The model is identified using sign-restrictions that allow for some neutrality of impulse responses over contemporaneous and long horizons. Findings – The results suggest that the importance of fundamental shocks on the exchange rate is time dependent. Hence there is a loss in information when using standard linear models that average out effects over time. The response of the exchange rate to demand and supply shocks have weakened over the 1994-2010 period. Research limitations/implications – The period following financial crisis has strengthened the relationship between supply and demand shocks to the exchange rate, but has weakened the relationship between interest rate shocks and the exchange rate response. Practical implications – This paper provides deeper insight as to how the exchange rate responds to fundamental shocks. This should help monetary policy understand the consequences of interest rate decisions on the exchange rate and the indirect effect of inflation on the exchange rate. Originality/value – This application is new to the South African literature. The authors propose that the use of interest rates is limited in affecting the value of the rand exchange rate over particular periods. Isolating fundamental shocks to exchange rates over time helps policy makers make clearer and more informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify whether any financial integration exists among ASEAN+5 members and some East Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, through interest rate, exchange rate, level of prices, and real output. Design/methodology/approach – Therefore, the authors intend to identify any long-term relationship among these variables utilizing the data in the most efficient manner via panel cointegration and panel unit root tests. The study likewise uses a panel-based vector error correction (panel-vec) model for comparison and also short-run relationship analysis. The long-run relationship is estimated using dynamic ordinary least square technique and a panel multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network. Findings – For the ten countries under consideration, the empirical result supports the long-run equilibrium relationship among real output, exchange rate, interest rate, and level of prices, and that the cointegration relationship implies unidirectional causality from exchange rate to real output. This result is favorable to a model that contains real output as a dependent variable and exchange rate, interest rate, and level of prices as explanatory variables. Panel-vec results indicate no evidence of short-run causality from exchange rate to real output. Furthermore, the comparison result of long-run equation estimation shows the superiority of neural networks over econometric models. Originality/value – This paper adds to the literature by examining the financial cointegration using a panel model that contains real exchange rate, interest rate, real output, and inflation rate in ASEAN+5. Additionally this paper applied the MLP neural network to yield a robust estimation of the long-run equation obtained among the variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – While changes in stock prices are said to affect exchange rates, exchange rate changes are also said to affect stock prices. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, the authors review all empirical literature by dividing them into two groups of univariate and multivariate studies. Second, a table which summarizes the main features of each study is provided to help future researchers to have easy access to summary of each study. Finally, a new direction for future research is proposed. This new direction relies upon non-linear ARDL approach and shows how to investigate symmetric vs asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on stock prices. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews existing published work and provides suggestions for future research. Findings – The paper reviews existing published work and provides suggestions for future research. An application reveals that exchange rate changes have asymmetric effect on stock prices. Originality/value – This is the first review paper on the relation between exchange rates and stock prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the sensitivity of firm value to exchange rate (ER) movements, and the determinants of such exposure for 100 European blue chip companies over 2001-2012. Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopt a disaggregated framework that distinguishes between Eurozone and non-Eurozone firms, and between financial and non-financial firms across the pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis periods of the recent financial crisis. Findings – The authors find no significant difference between Eurozone and non-Eurozone, and financial and non-financial firms. Exposure is found to be higher during the financial crisis, across all sub-samples of firms. In the majority of cases the exposure coefficient is significantly positive, indicating that European firms’ stock returns are positively (negatively) affected by depreciation (appreciation) of ERs (indirect quotation). Practical implications – It is recommended that firms’ financial plans budget for higher liquidity levels in order to build up, during “good times”, a natural hedge for the higher exposure likely to be faced during periods characterized by greater financial distress. Originality/value – The main novelty lies in the adoption of a disaggregated framework that discriminates between pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis periods in order to ascertain the extent to which the recent financial crisis affected the relationship in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]