Fear of Appreciation

39 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Eduardo Levy Levy-Yeyati

Eduardo Levy Levy-Yeyati

Universidad Torcuato Di Tella - School of Business

Federico Sturzenegger

Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: November 1, 2007

Abstract

In recent years the term "fear of floating" has been used to describe exchange rate regimes that, while officially flexible, in practice intervene heavily to avoid sudden or large depreciations. However, the data reveals that in most cases (and increasingly so in the 2000s) intervention has been aimed at limiting appreciations rather than depreciations, often motivated by the neo-mercantilist view of a depreciated real exchange rate as protection for domestic industries. As a first step to address the broader question of whether this view delivers on its promise, the authors examine whether this "fear of appreciation" has a positive impact on growth performance in developing economies. The authors show that depreciated exchange rates appear to induce higher growth, but that the effect, rather than through import substitution or export booms as argued by the mercantilist view, works largely through the deepening of domestic savings and capital accumulation.

Keywords: Currencies and Exchange Rates, Emerging Markets, Debt Markets, Economic Theory & Research, Macroeconomic Management

Suggested Citation

Levy-Yeyati, Eduardo Levy and Sturzenegger, Federico, Fear of Appreciation (November 1, 2007). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4387, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1029502

Eduardo Levy Levy-Yeyati

Universidad Torcuato Di Tella - School of Business ( email )

Saenz Valiente 1010
C1428BIJ Buenos Aires
Argentina

Federico Sturzenegger (Contact Author)

Universidad Torcuato Di Tella ( email )

Minones 2159
1428 Buenos Aires, 1428
Argentina

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
617-496-3255 (Phone)
617-496-1722 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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

Paper statistics

Downloads
580
Abstract Views
3,569
Rank
86,483
PlumX Metrics