Abstract:
This study measures the proportion of real exchange rate movements that can be accounted for by movements in the relative price of non-traded goods among twenty-one bilateral Asian-Pacific real exchange rates. Following Engel (1999), the decomposition is done at all possible horizons that the data allow – from one month up to 25 years. Evidence presented here is consistent with that from OECD countries. In particular, relative prices of non-traded goods appear to account for virtually none of the movement of Pacific Rim real exchange rates. This pattern appears unaffected by the cross-sectional variation in either income level, or the degree of openness present among these Pacific-Rim economies. The only exception to these findings occurs when we examine fixed (or semi-fixed) exchange rate regimes separately. However, the one exception (the Hong Kong dollar) is anomalous compared to other managed currencies within the sample, and to the recent findings of Mendoza (2000).