Time Inconsistency and the Exchange Rate Channel of Monetary Policy

This paper analyses time–inconsistency problems related to the exchange rate channel of monetary policy. Within a simple open–economy macroeconomic model, where the exchange rate is the only forward–looking variable, we show that a difference emerges between optimal policy under discretion and under commitment. Moreover, the nature of the time–inconsistency problem resembles that resulting from standard New Keynesian models: when cost–push shocks occur, the exchange rate channel gives rise to excessive output stabilisation and insufficient inertia in monetary policy under a discretionary policy.
JEL classification : E 42; E 52; E 61     

宏观经济波动与人民币汇率政策的影响因素分析

本文通过对当前新一轮宏观经济波动特征的分析,发现随着中国经济对外开放度的日益提高,汇率政策对宏观经济的运行已具有越来越重要的影响.目前中国国际收支顺差过大、外汇储备增长过快已成为加剧宏观经济过热的重要因素之一.通过调整名义汇率来解决顺差过大的思路受制于价格总水平调整幅度的局限,因为在影响我国商品和劳务的价格因素中,劳动力价格水平与发达国家相比悬殊过大既是影响商品价格水平的一个主导性因素又是一个长期性因素,在短期内不可能大幅度的缩小这一差距.由此,决定了目前不可能采取对人民币汇率水平大幅升值的办法来解决国际收支失衡和外汇储备过快增长的问题.解决人民币汇率的市场化形成机制和汇率水平向真实汇率回归问题是一项相对长期的政策选择,因而,短期的汇率政策只能以外汇储备的结构调整为主导.     

Managing real exchange rate for economic growth: Empirical evidences from developing countries

Abstract

This article analyses macroeconomic policies capable of influencing the long-run real exchange rate (RER). In this vein, it identifies economic policy tools that can devalue RER, covering a theoretical issue neglected by the economic literature, which argues that competitive exchange rate enhances growth. After discussing the “Trilemma,” we identify those variables that could affect RER without constraining monetary policy or exchange rate regime choice. In what follows, we model the probability of achieving an undervalued (small or large) RER for a sample of 14 developing countries from 1980 to 2010 (30?years) by applying econometric techniques for discrete choice and censored data. Afterwards, we compare the results for Latin American nations with Asian ones. They suggest that competitive exchange rate requires different approaches depending on the region. Moreover, Latin American countries need to take on additional policies so that interventions in the foreign exchange market become effective.     

钉住汇率下中国利率政策的困境:理论与经验

中国利率政策的行为表明,钉住汇率下的独立性是以利率政策的有效性损失为代价。处于对内通货膨胀高涨与对外巨额顺差并存的经济状态下,以单一利率政策应对开放经济的内外平衡目标,显然力不从心。在中国经济日益开放的当今,宏观经济调控需要新的政策工具,或是对既有政策工具赋予新的运用方法。     

汇率传递、宏观经济冲击对我国物价水平影响的实证分析

从实证的角度研究中国的汇率传递及宏观经济冲击和货币政策冲击相关因素对物价水平的影响.结合中国实际情况,在原有研究的基础上改进了一个包括所有这些相关变量的VAR模型.通过脉冲响应函数和方差分解的方法,我们发现,供给和需求冲击是物价水平波动的最主要原因,汇率和货币政策冲击在物价波动过程的作用并不明显,这与已有的研究结果有很大的不同,这表明仅仅依靠货币政策并不能降低当前的高物价水平.     

Choosing sides in the trilemma: international financial cycles and structural change in developing economies

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes the impact of international financial cycles on structural change in developing economies. It is argued that the impact of these cycles depends on the specific combination of macroeconomic and industrial policies adopted by the developing economy. The cases of Brazil and Argentina are contrasted with those of Korea and China. In the Asian economies, macroeconomic policy has been a complementary tool along with industrial policy to foster the diversification of production and capabilities. Inversely, in the case of the Latin American countries, long periods of real exchange rate (RER) appreciation, combined with the weaknesses (or absence) of industrial policies, contributed to the loss of capabilities and lagging behind.     

固定汇率体系下的货币政策:对未来中国货币政策的探讨

Using a macro dynamic model that is specified for the current Chinese economy, we investigate the monetary policy in China under the assumption that the capital market was “open” under WTO frame-work while the exchange rate was fixed. Our purpose here is to find whether it is possible for China in this case to keep the effective monetary policy for stabilizing the domestic economy. For this, we suggest some institutional arrangements (or restrictions). Given these institutional restrictions, we find that not only the monetary policy can still be effective but also the fixed exchange regime will strengthen the macroeconomic stability shared by both the domestic economy and the economy of its trade partners. The dynamic analysis of the model further shows that the under-valued RMB is necessary for the target exchange rate to be sustainable. Finally, due to the import pattern of the current Chinese economy, RMB appreciation will not help to resolve the trade deficit problem in the Western economy with respect to China.      

汇率-资本流动性的制度安排和财政-货币政策的有效性研究

笔者通过拓广的蒙代尔-弗莱明模型,并突破了传统的"三元冲突"汇率制度安排理论的研究路径,考虑引入资本流动性相对强度系数的概念,又在固定汇率制下引入"冲销"干预政策因素,提出了一个在固定和浮动汇率及不同资本流动性制度安排下财政-货币政策有效性指数曲线的新假说,对汇率-资本流动性制度安排对于宏观经济政策(财政-货币政策)综合有效性的影响问题做了一些较为深入的探讨.笔者认为,我国作为一个经济大国应尽可能地拥有宏观经济政策的自主权,考虑到我国当前金融市场体系尚不够完善,货币政策传导机制还存在严重障碍,所以在近期财政政策的权重应大于货币政策,从而在我国汇率制度改革过程中,为保留宏观经济政策的自主权,在加快放宽人民币汇率弹性的同时必须加强相应的资本管制.     

渐进资本开放下中国货币政策的独立性

对中国资本流动程度和中国货币政策独立性的回归检验结果表明:中国的经济实践是符合不可能三角命题的。在1980—2003年间,在事实上钉住美元的固定汇率制度下,中国实行着较为严格的资本管制政策和享有独立的货币政策,但货币政策主要依赖于数量调控工具,汇率和利率的价格调控微乎其微,货币政策的独立性受到极大的挑战。     

关于汇率理论与汇率政策研究的思考

汇率的决定与外汇市场供求、经常账户平衡、央行货币政策、相关资产价格、经济基本面、国民收入及国际收支账户等有着直接的或间接的关系。完善人民币汇率形成机制,要从外汇市场拓展到本外币政策深层次协调,从涉外经济拓展到内外经济协调发展,同时在新的汇率形成机制下对国际货币体系和主要货币的变化趋势进行系统的监测预测和分析研究。     

TAYLOR RULE REACTION COEFFICIENTS AND REAL EXCHANGE RATE PERSISTENCE

Recent literature has established a link between the persistence of real exchange rates and the degree of inertia in Taylor rule monetary policy reactions functions. This paper provides a different view on this link by investigating how the size of Taylor rule reaction coefficients impacts the adjustment dynamics of the real exchange rate. Within a stylized sticky‐price open‐economy macro model, it is demonstrated that a stronger interest rate reaction to inflation in the Taylor rule raises the convergence speed of the real exchange rate. Conversely, raising the coefficient on the output gap or attending to the exchange rate in an open‐economy version of the Taylor rule slows down real exchange rate adjustment. In all cases, more rapid convergence comes at the cost of stronger initial real exchange rate misalignments in the wake of monetary policy shocks.     

Is the exchange rate a shock absorber or a source of shocks? Evidence from the U.S.

We examine the stabilization role of the exchange rate in the U.S. economy using a factor augmented vector autoregression model. We find that exchange rate shock explains a large fraction of the variation in exchange rate and transmits major disturbances to the real economy. Further, we find that demand and supply shocks explain less than a quarter of the exchange rate movement. We provide robust evidence that although the exchange rate plays some role as a shock absorber, its role as an independent source of shocks is more dominant for the U.S. economy. The foreign exchange market breeds its own shocks which are destabilizing not only to the value of the dollar but to the overall economy as well. Our results suggest that policymakers need to take foreign exchange market fluctuations into account when making macroeconomic policy decisions.     

The effectiveness of exchange-rate-based monetary policy: evidence from survey data

Singapore’s monetary policy is centred on the management of the exchange rate. We examine how macroeconomic forecasters perceive the effectiveness of this unconventional policy. We provide empirical evidence that forecasters’ expectations are consistent with a forward-looking exchange-rate-based Taylor-type policy rule. They expect monetary authorities to actively manage the currency against expected future changes in inflation and output.     

Should monetary policy respond to asset price misalignments?

This paper analyses the relationship between monetary policy and asset prices using a structural rational expectations open economy model that allows for the effect of asset prices and exchange rates on aggregate demand. We assume that asset prices and exchange rates follow a partial adjustment mechanism whereas they are positively affected by past changes, thus allowing for ‘momentum trading’, while at the same time we allow for reversion towards fundamentals. We then conduct stochastic simulations using two alternative monetary policy rules, inflation-forecast targeting and the standard Taylor rule. The results indicate that, under both rules, interest rate setting that takes into account asset price misalignments leads to lower overall macroeconomic volatility, as measured by the postulated loss function of the central bank.     

宏观经济政策对人民币汇率变动的影响

本文从影响汇率变动因素的角度出发,着重探讨在不完全资本流动情况下宏观经济政策对一国汇率变动的作用,进而对人民币走势作一利弊分析,指出人民币走向国际可自由兑换货币是中国参与经济全球化的必然趋势。     

Real exchange rate and export performance in Argentina, 2002–2008

Between 2002 and 2008, Argentina experienced a phase of very high and sustained economic growth. During this period, macroeconomic policy aimed to preserve a stable and competitive real exchange rate (SCRER). There is controversy on whether the SCRER policy was a key factor fostering growth and, even more, on whether it helped promote the expansion of tradable activities and exports. We use a methodology to detect episodes of export surges among Argentina’s export industries and find that labor-intensive industries—especially low- and medium-technology manufactures—experienced the highest proportion of export surges within this period. We also find that between 1980 and 2015, the highest proportion of surges in total exports occurred during the 2003–8 period. The performance of export of services was also particularly dynamic during this period. This evidence suggests that the SCRER policy was instrumental for export surges in Argentina during 2002–8.     

Monetary and fiscal policy interactions in a post Keynesian open-economy model

Using a post Keynesian model, this study aims to analyze the stabilizing role of fiscal and monetary policies in an open economy with a managed exchange rate regime. The real exchange rate is modeled as an endogenous variable and inflation explained using the conflicting claims approach. The dynamic properties of macroeconomic equilibrium are evaluated in different regimes of fiscal and monetary policies. The main result of this study suggests that the preferred policy regime is the one in which economic authorities are complementary and fiscal policy plays an explicitly active role. In this regime, the fiscal policy must commit to the target for the rate of capacity utilization and the monetary authority must commit to the inflation target.     

中国货币政策绩效的短期分析与预测

根据对经济的不同作用,货币政策可分为紧缩的货币政策和宽松的货币政策。在过去的6年里,中国的货币政策一直处于相对稳健的状态。中国经济之所以取得了持续稳定的增长,就是因为实施了稳健的货币政策。通过对2004年中国经济金融形势的回顾及对货币政策及其工具的实施效果的分析,我们判断,在2005年或今后的一段时间里,我国将继续实行稳健的货币政策。     

政策不确定性的宏观经济后果

本文采取贝克的政策不确定性指数,运用FAVAR方法分析政策不确定性冲击对中国宏观经济的影响。经验结果发现,政策不确定性冲击对GDP、投资、消费、出口和价格变动会带来负向影响,导致实际有效汇率贬值,促使股票价格和房地产价格下跌。同时发现,政策不确定性作用于宏观经济的主要机制为预期渠道。该结论表明,政府应当尽量保持宏观经济政策的稳定性和持续性,并加强引导公众合理预期。     

Exchange Rate Flexibility and Current Account Adjustment: A Threshold VAR Analysis

Global imbalances (current account imbalances) have become an important issue for economists and policy makers. Greater exchange rate flexibility is often suggested as a means to achieve faster and more efficient adjustment in the current account. However, previous empirical studies show little support for this hypothesis. This paper revisits this issue with a large panel dataset and a threshold VAR model and finds that (1) some existing popular exchange rate classifications may not capture actual exchange rate variability as well as expected; (2) Once exchange rate variability is correctly identified, the speed of mean reversion in the current account balance is indeed higher in a regime with greater exchange rate variability.