Consumption and Real Exchange Rates in Professional Forecasts

Michael B. Devereux (), Gregor W. Smith and James Yetman ()

No 14795, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Standard models of international risk sharing with complete asset markets predict a positive association between relative consumption growth and real exchange-rate depreciation across countries. The striking lack of evidence for this link the consumption/real-exchange-rate anomaly or Backus-Smith puzzle - has prompted research on risk-sharing indicators with incomplete asset markets. That research generally implies that the association holds in forecasts, rather than realizations. Using professional forecasts for 28 countries for 1990-2008 we find no such association, thus deepening the puzzle. Independent evidence on the weak link between forecasts for consumption and real interest rates suggests that the presence of 'hand-to-mouth' consumers may help to resolve the anomaly.

JEL-codes: F37 F41 F47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-for and nep-opm
Date: 2009-03
Note: IFM
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