Expected Exchange Rate Movement and Forward-Looking Importers

46 Pages Posted: 15 Feb 2015

See all articles by Yao Amber Li

Yao Amber Li

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - School of Business and Management, Department of Economics; HKUST IEMS (Institute for Emerging Market Studies)

Chen Zhao

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)

Date Written: February 1, 2015

Abstract

This paper presents theory and empirical evidence on that a forward-looking potential importer facing sunk costs will respond to expectation of future exchange rate fluctuations. This finding indicates the importance of sunk costs in firms' decisions to import goods. Building upon a heterogeneous-firm framework, the model makes a variety of predictions about the effect of anticipated fluctuations in the domestic currency exchange rate. First, changes in the expectation of future exchange rates lead to the entry/exit of marginally productive firms, reshaping the extensive margin of imports, and inducing significant changes in aggregate import values. Second, the firm level marginal benefit/loss of importing diminishes as expected appreciation/depreciation persists, due to the impact of continued entry/exit on markups. This changing marginal benefit/loss consequently weakens the adjustment of the extensive margin in the long run. Third, firms present heterogeneous responses to forward exchange rate fluctuations in the presence of sunk costs; these responses are related to their access to credit and other firm-level characteristics. Using disaggregated transaction level data of Chinese imports from the United States combined with data on the US dollar-RMB future rates on the non-deliverable forward market, this paper confirms that the extensive margin of import significantly responds to forward exchange rate premiums. This paper also finds evidence on firms' heterogeneous responses to anticipated exchange rate changes that support the model predictions by merging import data with firm-level balance sheet data.

Keywords: Expectation of exchange rates, Import, Forward-looking, Heterogeneous rms, Extensive margin, Heterogeneous response

JEL Classification: F31, F14, F12, F41

Suggested Citation

Li, Yao Amber and Zhao, Chen, Expected Exchange Rate Movement and Forward-Looking Importers (February 1, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2564137 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2564137

Yao Amber Li (Contact Author)

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - School of Business and Management, Department of Economics; HKUST IEMS (Institute for Emerging Market Studies) ( email )

Department of Economics, Hong Kong U of Sci&Tech
Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Kowloon
Hong Kong

HOME PAGE: http://yaoli.people.ust.hk/

Chen Zhao

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) ( email )

Clearwater Bay
Kowloon, 999999
Hong Kong

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
97
Abstract Views
1,246
Rank
489,322
PlumX Metrics