Importance Of Real And Nominal Shocks In Us Macroeconomic And Exchange Rate Fluctuations

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Rafayet Alam ◽  
Scott D. Gilbert
Author(s):  
Amalia Morales-Zumaquero

This paper tries to analyze the sources of the real exchange rate fluctuations for a set of advanced economies and Central and Eastern European transition economies. To address this, in a first step, we compute two measures of the share of the variance of the real exchange rate accounted for movements in the relative prices of traded goods between the countries. One measure is based on R2 coefficient and the other one is based on the mean-squared error (MSE) of the changes in the real exchange rate. In a second step, we estimate structural (identified) vector autoregression (SVAR) models, and decompose real and nominal exchange rate movements into those caused by real and nominal shocks. In a third step, we complete previous ones with an impulse-response analysis. Three central messages are derived from results: (1) for transition economies, under regimes of managed nominal exchange rates, the relative price of non-traded goods explain a large percentage of the variance of the real exchange rate; (2) there is evidence of instability in the variance decomposition of the real exchange rates for advanced economies across samples, and (3) as result of diverse fiscal and monetary policies in transition economies, real exchange rates in some economies are driven mostly by real shocks while in others are driven mostly by nominal shocks.


1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-446
Author(s):  
Robert Carbaugh ◽  
Darwin Wassink

1988 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald I McKinnon

What keeps the three major industrial blocs -- Western Europe, North America, and industrialized Asia -- from developing a common monetary standard to prevent exchange-rate fluctuations? One important reason is the differing theoretical perspectives of economic advisers. The first issue is whether or not a floating foreign exchange market -- where governments do not systematically target exchange rates -- is “efficient.” Many economists believe that exchange risk can be effectively hedged in forward markets so international monetary reform is unnecessary. Second, after a decade and a half of unremitting turbulence in the foreign exchange markets, economists cannot agree on “equilibrium” or desirable official targets for exchange rates if they were to be stabilized. The contending principles of purchasing power parity and of balanced trade yield very different estimates for the “correct” yen/dollar and mark/dollar exchange rates. Third, if the three major blocs can agree to fix nominal exchange rates within narrow bands, by what working rule should the new monetary standard be anchored to prevent worldwide inflation or deflation? After considering the magnitude of exchange-rate fluctuations since floating began in the early 1970s, I analyze these conceptual issues in the course of demonstrating how the central banks of Japan, the United States, and Germany (representing the continental European bloc) can establish fixed exchange rates and international monetary stability.


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