Foreign Exchange Intervention, Capital Flows, and Liability Dollarization

Paul Castillo and Juan Medina

No GRU_2021_027, GRU Working Paper Series from City University of Hong Kong, Department of Economics and Finance, Global Research Unit

Abstract: This paper investigates the importance of foreign exchange intervention in dealing with shocks to global capital flows in emerging economies. We show in a VAR analysis that a shock to global capital flows has a sizable effect on economic activity, and this effect is amplified in emerging economies with liability dollarization. However, countries that systematically rely on sterilized foreign exchange intervention in response to movements in global capital flows, display lower output and real exchange rate volatility. Motivated by the empirical evidence, we develop a small open economy model with liability dollarization and balance sheets effects calibrated to an emerging economy. Our quantitative results show that liability dollarization amplifies the effects of fluctuations in capital flows and that foreign exchange intervention can reduce macroeconomic volatility and improve welfare. These results point to the importance of foreign exchange reserves in insulating emerging economies from the global financial cycle.

Keywords: Foreign Exchange Intervention; Global Financial Cycle; Liability Dollarization; Balance Sheet Effects; Emerging Economies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E58 F31 F41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37 pages
Date: 2021-06-25, Revised 2021-07-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-dge, nep-fdg, nep-mac, nep-mon and nep-opm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Foreign Exchange Intervention, Capital Flows, and Liability Dollarization (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cth:wpaper:gru_2021_27

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