Narrow Results

This study re-examines the validity of the relationship between the Singapore dollar–U.S. dollar exchange rate and relative prices using the latest econometric methodologies that account for non-linearity. Among others, this study finds Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive (ESTAR)-type non-linear mean-reverting adjustment process of the nominal Singapore dollar–U.S. dollar rate towards the consumer price index ratio. Unlike previous findings of a linear cointegration relationship between the nominal Singapore dollar–U.S. dollar exchange rate and consumer price index ratio, this study shows that the relationship is in fact non-linear in nature. The major economic implications of our findings are: (1) policy makers need to take non-linearity into consideration in their policy decisions; (2) the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is able to maintain the macroeconomic equilibrium despite the authority's strong dollar policy; and (3) one should keep track of Singapore's monetary policy and other innovations in aggregate demand in order to closely monitor the movement of the Singapore exchange rate.

Todays' American mercantile pressure on China to appreciate the renminbi against the dollar is eerily similar to the American pressure on Japan to appreciate the yen that began over 30 years ago. There are some differences between the two cases, but downward pressure on Chinese interest rates from foreign exchange risk could lead China into a zero interest rate liquidity trap much like the one that Japan has suffered since the mid-1990s.

This paper examines the key characteristics of Singapore's exchange rate-centered monetary policy; in particular, its managed float regime which incorporates key features of the basket, band and crawl system popularized by Williamson (1998, 1999). We assess how the flexibility accorded by this framework has been advantageous in facilitating adjustment to various shocks to the economy. A characterization of the countercyclical nature of Singapore's exchange rate policy is also offered, with reference to recent work on the monetary policy reaction function and estimates of Singapore's behavioral equilibrium exchange rate. We also review previous econometric analysis which provides evidence that Singapore's managed float system may have helped to mitigate the spillover effects of such increased volatility into the real economy. The track record of Singapore's managed float regime over the past two decades suggests that intermediate regimes are a viable alternative to the so-called "corner solutions", especially when supported by consistent macroeconomic and microeconomic policies as well as strong institutions.

The argument that any exchange rate regimes other than firmly fixed and freely floating rates were infeasible — the so-called bipolarity thesis — acquired great popularity in the wake of the Asian crisis of a decade ago, but it has almost vanished today. One reason is surely the unkind empirical evidence, which shows that intermediate regimes — measured as those where both reserve and exchange rate changes lie in an intermediate range — are not in fact tending to disappear (Levy Yeyati and Sturzenegger, 2002). Another reason is the recognition that exchange rate policy should have other objectives besides avoiding crises, and that in the world we live in today it is reasonable to give these other objectives a significant priority. And perhaps a third factor is growing recognition that it is possible to design or operate intermediate regimes in ways that avoid exposing them to the dangers that were focused on by the disciples of bipolarity.

This article starts by distinguishing the options that countries face in choosing an exchange rate regime. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, finally suggesting that for most countries the real choice lies between freely floating rates, floating rates disciplined by a reference rate system, and an ill-defined managed floating with the management undefined. Three issues may influence the choice between those alternatives: transparency; perceived consistency with that pillar of current macroeconomic thinking, inflation targeting; and the theory of what determines exchange rates. In the latter context, it is argued that the current conventional wisdom of the economics profession is wrong, and that a more convincing diagnosis of the process of exchange rate determination lends support to the proposal for a reference rate system.

After the East Asian crisis in 1997, the issue of whether stock prices and exchange rates are related or not have received much attention. This is due to realization that during the crisis the countries affected saw turmoil in both their currencies and stock markets. This paper studies the non-linear interactions between stock price and exchange rate in Malaysia using a two regimes multivariate Markov switching vector autoregression (MS-VAR) model with regime shifts in both the mean and the variance. In the study, the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) and the exchange rates of Malaysia ringgit against four other countries namely the Singapore dollar, the Japanese yen, the British pound sterling and the Australian dollar between 1990 and 2005 are used. The empirical results show that all the series are not cointegrated but the MS-VAR model with two regimes manage to detect common regime shifts behavior in all the series. The estimated MS-VAR model reveals that as the stock price index falls the exchange rates depreciate and when the stock price index gains the exchange rates appreciate. In addition, the MS-VAR model fitted the data better than the linear vector autoregressive model (VAR).

This paper looks at how Singapore's exchange rate regime has coped with exchange rate volatility, by comparing the performance of Singapore's actual regime in minimizing the volatility of the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) and the bilateral rate against the US dollar with some counterfactual regimes and the corresponding performance of eight other East Asian countries. In contrast to previous counterfactual exercises, we apply a more disaggregated methodology for the trade weights, a larger number of trade partners and ARCH/GARCH techniques to capture the time-varying characteristics of volatility. Our findings confirm that Singapore's managed floating exchange rate system has delivered relatively low currency volatility. Although there are gains in volatility reduction for all countries in the sample from the adoption of either a unilateral or a common basket peg, particularly post-Asian crisis, these gains are relatively low for Singapore, largely because of low actual volatility. There are additional gains for non-dollar peggers from stabilizing intra-east Asian exchange rates against the dollar if they were to adopt a basket peg, especially post-crisis, but the gains for Singapore are again relatively modest. Finally, the conclusion from previous counterfactual studies that there is little difference between a unilateral basket peg and a common basket peg in terms of stability reduction is confirmed.

This article examines the relationship between exchange rates and stock prices in eight Asian countries. We test for cointegration and Granger causality for both individual countries using the Gregory and Hansen cointegration test that accommodates a structural break in the cointegrating vector, and for a panel using the Westerlund panel Lagrange multiplier (LM) cointegration test that allows for multiple structural breaks in the level of the individual cointegrating equations. Our results for individual countries suggest that the only country for which exchange rates and stock prices are cointegrated over the entire period is Korea where there is a weak long-run unidirectional Granger causality running from exchange rates to stock prices. Employing the panel LM cointegration test with multiple structural breaks, we find that exchange rates and stock prices are not cointegrated. We conclude that for the eight Asian countries, exchange rates and stock prices primarily have only a contemporaneous effect on each other that is reflected in the short-run intertemporal comovements between these financial variables.

Global financial integration intensified in the period leading up to the Great Financial Crisis, as was witnessed by the growth of cross-border banking, capital flows, and gross external capital positions. For small, open economies (SOEs) that have lifted restrictions on capital movements, global financial integration seems to have undermined the scope for independent monetary policy, even if these countries had adopted a flexible exchange rate regime. Monetary policy transmission was weakened through the interest rate channel, as long-term rates in SOEs became increasingly correlated with long rates in large, advanced countries. The exchange rate channel was unstable, however, with exchange rates diverging from fundamentals as uncovered interest rate parity failed to hold over relevant periods and capital flows were volatile. These tendencies can contribute to monetary and financial instability when they interact badly with other economic and financial risks that can face small, open, and financially integrated economies. This was the case in Iceland. A fundamental rethinking of policy frameworks and tools has been underway in SOEs in the wake of the crisis. Potential policy instruments include foreign exchange intervention, enhanced prudential rules on foreign exchange risks, macroprudential tools, better alignment of fiscal and monetary policy, and even selective capital flow management tools.

This study empirically investigates the dynamic effects of Japan’s quantitative easing (QE) policy on industry-specific business activity using a time-varying parameter model and monthly data spanning 2001–2006. This model yields more reliable and precise results than earlier fixed effects models using quarterly data. The first major finding is that the effect of QE on yen–dollar exchange rates varied during the sampled period and is most evident in the final phases, whereas its effect on stock prices persisted almost continuously. Second, QE’s effect on Japan’s real economy — i.e., on industrial production — varies by industry and over time. Most notably, QE raised production via yen–dollar depreciation in the machinery sector (e.g., general and transport machinery) and the sector including chemicals, non-ferrous metals and iron and steel during its latter phases. This study is the first to investigate how unconventional monetary policy influences Japan’s real economy by analyzing the real exchange rate during the second half of QE implementation in Japan.

Exchange rates are important indicators of the economic power of countries, directly affected by the international trading patterns and relations. Since almost every pair of countries in the globalized world are economically and financially related, exchange rates can be evaluated as nodes of a global financial network to make meaningful inferences.

In this study, a financial network approach is conducted by evaluating the movements of the most traded 35 currencies against gold between years 2005 and 2017. Using graph theory and statistical methods, the analysis of economic relations between currencies is carried out, supported with geographical and cultural inferences. A risk map of currencies is generated through the portfolio optimization. Another approach of applying various threshold levels for correlations to determine connections between currencies is also employed. Results indicate that there exists a saddle point for correlation threshold as 0.9 which results in a robust network topology that is highly modular and clustered, also dominantly displaying small-world and scale-free properties.

This paper studies the dynamic relationship between stock prices and exchange rates in the Brazilian economy. We use recently developed unit root and cointegration tests, which allow endogenous breaks, to test for a long run relationship between these variables. We performed linear, and nonlinear causality tests after considering both volatility and linear dependence. We found that there is no long run relationship, but there is linear Granger causality from stock prices to exchange rates, in line with the portfolio approach: stock prices lead exchange rates with a negative correlation. Furthermore, we found evidence of nonlinear Granger causality from exchange rates to stock prices, in line with the traditional approach: exchange rates lead stock prices. We believe these findings have practical applications for international investors and in the design of exchange rate policies.

In this work we measure the evolution of the long-range dependence phenomenon of returns and volatilities of nominal British exchange rates (British pound against US dollar) futures contracts negotiated on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange from 1986 to 2004. The measurement employs the R/S classic analysis, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis and Generalized Hurst exponents, upon a 1008-observation window, which moves along the data. We obtain as a result, the effects of the 1992 European financial crisis on the measurements of the long-range dependency phenomenon. After the crisis the returns of this futures contract showed no signs of the long-range memory, which existed before the crisis. The volatility presented moderate long-range memory the whole time. We also test for long-memory in European currencies inside the European Monetary System and find evidence of moderate long memory, which suggests that being inside the EMS increases predictability.

Fully sterilized intervention, an operation that involves a pure swap of foreign and domestic assets which leaves the money supply unchanged, gained it popularity through the experience among developed countries in the early 1980s. Ideally, it provides an independent policy tool that allows monetary authorities to pursue internal and external stabilization objectives simultaneously. In this paper, we employ a vector error correction model (VECM) to examine the dynamic interactions between exchange rate condition and policy reactions by Taiwanese monetary authorities, as Taiwan is ready to join the WTO and to help businesses take full advantages of e-commerce. We found that little efforts were made to sterilize interventions in the short term after an exchange rate shock occurred. The intention of not to sterilize interventions is to alleviate the exchange rate pressure by drastically changing domestic short term interest rates to force private sectors instantaneously adjust shares between domestic and foreign assets in their portfolios where there are speculative positions. Presumably, this official effort to avoid great fluctuations of exchange rates would offer businesses more freedoms in dealing with challenges in e-commerce environment. The result also suggests that, unlike the experience in developed countries, an independent monetary policy may not always be preferred by policy markers in small open economies.

This paper investigates the degree of volatility and asymmetric behavior of real exchange rates in East Asian. Exponential generalized autoregressive heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) is deployed to estimate the volatility of the exchange rate returns before and after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. We found that the EGARCH (1,1) specification fits the monthly currency series of the Asian currencies well, suggesting that volatility in exchange rates is time varying and asymmetric. The results show that before the crisis, only three currencies displayed evidence of asymmetries in their conditional variance. After the sharp fall in their currencies, all but one showed a significant increase in volatility and asymmetric effect. We conclude that the crisis caused a contagion that spread through the currency markets. The results of this study underline the importance of economic and political stability in the member countries for the stability of the regional economy.

This research employs VAR models, impulse response function, forecast error variance decomposition and bivariate GJR GARCH models, to explore the dynamic relationship between foreign investment and the MSCI Taiwan Index (MSCI–TWI). The estimations of the VAR, impulse-response functions and predicted error variance decomposition tests show that stronger feedback effects exist between net foreign investment and MSCI–TWI. In particular, our results demonstrate that the MSCI–TWI has the greatest influence over the decision-making processes of foreign investors. Also, we see that exchange rates exert a negative influence on both net foreign investment dollars and the MSCI–TWI. In addition, US–Taiwan interest rate difference has a positive influence on net foreign investment dollars and a negative influence on the MSCI–TWI. As for asymmetric own-volatility transmission, negative shocks in the MSCI–TWI tend to create greater volatility for itself in the following period than positive shocks. Our research indicates an asymmetric information transmission mechanism from net foreign investment to MSCI–TWI markets. Moreover, the estimated correlation coefficient shows that MSCI–TWI and net foreign investment dollar have a positive contemporaneous correlation.

In this paper, we use a unique dataset to examine the cause of return irregularity in financial markets around the end of the year. Year-end return irregularities are often attributed to either window-dressing or preferred habitat. We study year-end return irregularities in the foreign exchange swap market. We find that the return of a contract ending before the end of the year is lower than the return of a contract ending after the beginning of the year. The results support the existence of the preferred habitat and provide some evidence of window dressing in foreign exchange swaps.

Foreign exchange rate (forex) forecasting has been the subject of several rigorous investigations due to its importance in evaluating the benefits and risks of the international business environments. Many methods have been researched with the ultimate goal being to increase the reliability and efficiency of the forecasting method. However as the data are inherently dynamic and complex, the development of accurate forecasting method remains a challenging task if not a formidable one. This paper proposes a new weight of the fuzzy time series model for a daily forecast of the exchange rate market. Through this method, the weights are assigned to the fuzzy relationships based on a probability approach. This can be implemented to carry out the frequently recurring fuzzy logical relationship (FLR) in the fuzzy logical group (FLG). The US dollar to the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) exchange rates are used as an example and the efficiency of the proposed method is compared with the methods proposed by Yu and Cheng et al. The result shows that the proposed method has enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of the daily exchange rate forecasting opportunities.

To forecast the non-stationary data is quite difficult when compared with the stationary data time series. Because their variances are not constant and not stable like the second data type. This paper presents the implementation of fuzzy time series (FTS) into the non-stationary time series data forecasting, such as, the electricity load demand, the exchange rates, the enrollment university and others. These data forecasts are derived by implementing of the weightage and linguistic out-sample methods. The result shows that the FTS can be applied in improving the accuracy and efficiency of these non-stationary data forecasting opportunities.

We study variations in the risk-neutral distributions of the exchange rates in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru due to interventions implemented by these countries. For this purpose, we first estimate the risk-neutral densities of the exchange rates based on derivatives market data, for one-day and one-week horizons. Second, using a linear regression model, we assess possible effects on the distributions of the expected exchange rates due to these interventions. We find little evidence of an effect on the expected exchange rates' means, volatilities, skewness, kurtoses, risk premia, and tails' parameters. In the few cases for which we do find some statistical evidence of an effect, it tends to be short-lived or not economically significant. On the other hand, we find evidence that interventions which objective is to restore and/or assure the proper functioning of exchange rate markets have a higher probability of success. This probability increases as the amount of resources to intervene at the disposal of the central bank increases. Needless to say, there are limits to the methodology we use.

We show that carry trade excess returns and forward premia of exchange rates possess persistent and clear business-cycle patterns. Our results contradict the peso model of hedged carry trade developed by [Burnside, C., M. Eichenbaum, I. Kleshchelski, and S. Rebelo, 2011, Do Peso Problems Explain the Returns to the Carry Trade?, Review of Financial Studies 24(3), 853–891.] and the overconfidence model of carry trade developed by [Burnside, C., B. Han, D. Hirshleifer, and T. Y. Wang, 2011, Investor Overconfidence and the Forward Premium Puzzle, Review of Economic Studies 78(2), 523–558.]. Our results support equilibrium asset pricing models and share the habit formation view of [Verdelhan, A., 2010, A Habit-Based Explanation of the Exchange Rate Risk Premium, Journal of Finance 65(1), 123–145.] that requires countercyclical risk premia. In bad times, when risk aversion is high and domestic interest rates are low, investors require positive currency excess returns. Consistent with [Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2014, Countercyclical Currency Risk Premia, Journal of Financial Economics 111(3), 527–553.] the cyclicality of excess returns is associated with the cyclicality of forward premia. We find that the persistence in forward premia and excess returns is related to their cyclicality. Our results are robust to the [Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2011, Common Risk Factors in Currency Market, Review of Financial Studies 24(11), 3731–3777; Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2014, Countercyclical Currency Risk Premia, Journal of Financial Economics 111(3), 527–553.] high-minus-low (HML) and “dollar carry trade” portfolios.