Nonlinear Adjustment, Purchasing Power Parity and the Role of Nominal Exchange Rates and Prices

Although the literature on purchasing power parity (PPP) is rich in controversy, the relative contribution of prices and nominal exchange rates to real exchange rate movements which restore PPP disequilibria has rarely been put under any close scrutiny. Using monthly data from 1973:01 to 2009:12 from the USA, UK, Germany, France and Japan, this paper as a fi rst step applies a cointegrated VAR framework to test for stationary real exchange rates and linear adjustments in prices and nominal exchange rates. As a second step, ESTR error correction models are fi tted to test whether nonlinear error correctional behaviour characterizes the data. The results clearly indicate that the nominal exchange rate is responsible for the nonlinear mean reverting behaviour in real exchange rates and also mainly drives overall adjustment. Applying dynamic stochastic simulations based on the estimated models, this study also confi rms recent results that the half-life times of real exchange rate shocks are signifi cantly smaller than the consensus benchmark of three to fi ve years.Purchasing power parity; cointegration; nonlinear vector error correction

Cross-section Dependence and the Monetary Exchange Rate Mode – A Panel Analysis

This paper tackles the issue of cross-section dependence for the monetary exchange rate model in the presence of unobserved common factors using panel data from 1973 until 2007 for 19 OECD countries. Applying a principal component analysis we distinguish between common factors and idiosyncratic components and determine whether non-stationarity stems from international or national stochastic trends. We find evidence for a cross-section cointegration relationship between the exchange rates and fundamentals which is driven by those common international trends. In addition, the estimated coefficients of income and money are in line with the suggestions of the monetary model.Monetary exchange rate model; common factors; panel data; cointegration; vector error-correction models

Global Integration of Central and Eastern European Financial Markets: The Role of Economic Sentiments

This paper examines the importance of different economic sentiments, e.g. consumer moods, for the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) during the transition process. We first analyze the importance of economic confidence with respect to the CEEC's financial markets. Since the integration of formerly strongly regulated markets into global markets can also lead to an increase of the dependence of the CEECs' domestic market performance from global sentiments, we also investigate the relationship between global economic sentiments and domestic income and share prices. Finally, we test whether the impact of global sentiments and stock prices on domestic variables increases proportionally with the degree of integration. For these purposes, we apply a structural cointegrating VAR (CVAR) framework based upon a restricted autoregressive model which allows us to distinguish between the long-run and the short-run dynamics. For the long run we find evidence supporting relationships between sentiments, income and share prices in case of the Czech Republic. Our results for the short run suggest that economic sentiments in general are strongly influenced by share prices and income but also offer some predictive power with respect to the latter. What is more, global sentiments play an important role in particular for the CEECs' share prices and income. The significance of this link increases with economic integration.Cointegration, European integration, financial markets, restricted autoregressive model, sentiments

Global Integration of Central and Eastern European Financial Markets – The Role of Economic Sentiments

This paper examines the importance of diff erent economic sentiments, e.g. consumer moods, for the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) during the transition process. We fi rst analyze the importance of economic confi dence with respect to the CEECs’ fi nancial markets. Since the integration of formerly strongly-regulated markets into global markets can also lead to an increase in the dependence of the CEECs’ domestic market performance on global sentiments, we also investigate the relationship between global economic sentiments and domestic income and share prices. Finally, we test whether the impact of global sentiments and stock prices on domestic variables increases proportionally with the degree of integration. We also account for eff ects stemming from global income. For these purposes, we apply a restricted cointegrating VAR (CVAR) framework based upon a restricted autoregressive model which allows us to distinguish between the long-run and the short-run dynamics. For the long run we fi nd evidence supporting relationships between sentiments, income and share prices in the case of the Czech Republic. Our results for the short run suggest that economic sentiments in general are infl uenced by share prices but also off er some predictive power with respect to the latter. What is more, European sentiments play an important role in particular for the CEECs’ share prices and income. The signifi cance of this link increases with economic integration.Cointegration; European integration; fi nancial markets; restricted autoregressive model; sentiments

Cross-Section Dependence and the Monetary Exchange Rate Model: A Panel Analysis

This paper tackles the issue of cross-section dependence for the monetary exchange rate model in the presence of unobserved common factors using panel data from 1973 until 2007 for 19 OECD countries. Applying a principal component analysis we distinguish between common factors and idiosyncratic components and determine whether non-stationarity stems from international or national stochastic trends. We find evidence for a cross-section cointegration relationship between the exchange rates and fundamentals which is driven by those common international trends. In addition, the estimated coefficients of income and money are in line with the suggestions of the monetary model.Monetary exchange rate model, common factors, panel data, cointegration, vector error-correction models

How Stable Are Monetary Models of the Dollar-Euro Exchange Rate? - A Time-varying Coefficient Approach

This paper examines the significance of different fundamental regimes by applying various monetary models of the exchange rate to one of the politically most important exchange rates, the exchange rate of the US dollar vis-à-vis the euro (the DM). We use monthly data from 1975:01 to 2007:12. Applying a novel time-varying coefficient estimation approach, we come up with interesting properties of our empirical models. First, there is no stable long-run equilibrium relationship among fundamentals and exchange rates since the breakdown of BrettonWoods. Second, there are no recurring regimes, i.e. across different regimes either the coefficient values for the same fundamentals differ or the significance differs. Third, there is no regime in which no fundamentals enter. Fourth, the deviations resulting from the stepwise cointegrating relationship act as a significant error-correction mechanism. In other words, we are able to show that fundamentals play an important role in determining the exchange rate although their impact differs significantly across different subperiods.Structural exchange rate models, cointegration, structural breaks, switching regression, time-varying coefficient approach

The Relevance of International Spillovers and Asymmetric Effects in the Taylor Rule. CEPS Working Document No. 403, February 2015

Deviations of policy interest rates from the levels implied by the Taylor rule have been persistent before the financial crisis and increased especially after the turn of the century. Compared to the Taylor benchmark, policy rates were often too low. This paper provides evidence that both international spillovers, for instance international dependencies in the interest rate-setting of central banks, and nonlinear reaction patterns can offer a more realistic specification of the Taylor rule in the main industrial countries. The inclusion of international spillovers and, even more, nonlinear dynamics improves the explanatory power of standard Taylor reaction functions. Deviations from Taylor rates tend to be smaller and their negative trend can be eliminated

Fundamental determinants of exchange rate expectations

This paper provides a new perspective on the expectations building mechanism in foreign exchange markets. We analyze the role of expectations regarding macroeconomic fundamentals for expected exchange rate changes. In doing so, we assess real-time survey data for 29 economies from 2002 to 2023 and consider expectations regarding GDP growth, inflation, interest rates, and current accounts. Our empirical findings show that fundamentals expectations are more important over longer horizons compared to shorter horizons. We find that an expected increase in GDP growth relative to the US leads to an expected appreciation of the domestic currency while higher relative inflation expectations lead to an expected depreciation, a finding consistent with purchasing power parity. Our results also indicate that the expectation building process differs systematically across pessimistic and optimistic forecasts with the former paying more attention to fundamentals expectations. Finally, we also observe that fundamentals expectations have some explanatory power for forecast errors, especially for longer horizons

Perceived monetary policy uncertainty

This paper examines whether media attention affects the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy uncertainty. We combine survey data from Consensus Economics and data on media attention from MarketPsych to distinguish between uncertainty and perceived uncertainty among the public. We assess the corresponding nonlinear effects on stock returns, the growth of industrial production, and inflation. Our results confirm that monetary policy uncertainty tends to have negative effects on production growth and stock returns. In particular for industrial production, such effects tend to be stronger in case of higher media coverage which acts as a propagation mechanism

The role of expectations for currency crisis dynamics - the case of the Turkish lira

This paper examines whether and how expectations have contributed to the turbulent path of the Turkish lira since 2008. We derive uncertainty measures surrounding GDP growth, inflation, the interest rate, and exchange rates based on survey data from Consensus Economics. Our results illustrate that forecasts have affected realized exchange rates and stock market returns via increased uncertainty. We also show that expectations regarding monetary policy have changed throughout the sample period. In line with a gradual adjustment of expectations professionals have accounted for the violation of the Taylor rule