China’s Exchange Rate and International Adjustment in Wages, Prices, and Interest Rates: Japan Déjà Vu?

China keeps its exchange rate tightly fixed to the dollar. Its productivity growth and trade surplus have been high, and it continues to accumulate large dollar reserves. Many observers take this as evidence that the renminbi is undervalued and should be appreciated to reduce the Chinese trade surplus. We argue that an appreciation of the renminbi need not reduce China’s trade surplus but could cause serious deflation in China. To show this, we consider international adjustment between China and the United States from both an asset-market and a labor-market perspective, and compare this to Japan’s unsuccessful appreciation of the yen.China, exchange rate, adjustment, assets markets, labour markets

China’s Exchange Rate Impasse and the Weak U.S. Dollar

Since 2004, China has been backed into a situation where the renminbi is expected to go ever higher against the dollar, and this one-way bet has led to a loss of domestic monetary control. Combined with a more general flight from the U.S. dollar, the resulting monetary explosion in China contributes to the worldwide increase in primary commodity prices—with excess liquidity reminiscent of the global inflation generated by the weak dollar in the 1970s.inflation, exchange rates, macro policies, current account imbalances

China and its Dollar Exchange Rate: A Worldwide Stabilizing Influence?

We argue that criticism concerning the Chinese dollar peg is misplaced as no predictable link exists between the exchange rate and the trade balance of an international creditor economy. The stable nominal yuan/dollar rate is argued to have stabilized Chinese, East Asian and global growth. However, linked to US low interest rates, Chinese sterilization policies and potentially subsidized capital allocation in China the real yuan/dollar rate is undervalued. This has caused—both in China and the United States— structural distortions and threatens to undermine global growth and stability. We propose Sino-American policy coordination to escape from the policy dilemma, which continues to drive global imbalances.China, exchange rate, financial stability, economic stability, international policy coordination, currency war

The impact of microfinance on household livelihoods: Evidence from rural Eritrea

This study examined the impact of microfinance on the livelihoods of households in rural Eritrea. It specifically sought to find out whether the Saving and Microcredit Programme (SMCP), introduced by the Eritrean Government in 1996 to support the poorest of the poor, had a significant impact on the livelihood of its clients. The study employed logistic regression and propensity score matching estimation techniques. The findings reveal that households that participated in the SMCP had reported significantly higher profits from their microenterprises, had more valuable assets, higher consumption expenditure, significantly improved nutrition and increased savings. The findings have important social and economic policy implications regarding the role of finance in rural development in an African context