Terms of trade and current account fluctuations: The Harberger-Laursen-Metzler effect revisited

Hafedh Bouakez and Takashi Kano

Journal of Macroeconomics, 2008, vol. 30, issue 1, 260-281

Abstract: This paper investigates whether extending the intertemporal model of the current account to allow for variations in the terms of trade improves its ability to fit the data. It derives a testable present-value representation of the current account that encompasses the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect, according to which a temporary rise in the terms of trade improves the current account. The present-value model is tested using data from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The results show that terms-of-trade movements do not affect the current account in a significant way, and that, in two of the three cases, the model is strongly rejected by the data.

Date: 2008
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (40)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0164-0704(07)00137-1
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jmacro:v:30:y:2008:i:1:p:260-281

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Macroeconomics is currently edited by Douglas McMillin and Theodore Palivos

More articles in Journal of Macroeconomics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().