The forward exchange rate and the prediction of the future spot rate: Empirical evidence

This paper examines the characteristics and evaluates the record of the forward exchange rate as a predictor of the future spot rate of three European currencies during the recent period of floating rates. The forward rate (for 1, 3 and 6 months) is compared to a simple predictor of ‘no change’ extrapolations (i.e., a Martingale model) by the use of Theil's inequality ratios. Theil's measures are then applied to assess the relative importance of the various sources of the forward's prediction errors, and the efficiency of the forecast is tested. The results show that the forward rate, while generally producing unbiased forecasts, fails to track the fluctuations in future spot rates and poorly reflects their variations. Further, it does not perform better than the current spot rate in predicting the future spot rate for all the examined forecast leads. Thus its usefulness for the purpose of business decisions is questioned.