Exchange rate regimes

• June 19, 2008

  China's Integration into the Global Financial System

  Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2008 Paul Masson, Wendy Dobson, Robert Lafrance

  Despite having the world's largest GDP when measured in terms of purchasing-power parities, the third-largest share in world exports, and the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, China has only a minor role in the global financial system. Its banks have a modest international presence; China's currency, the renminbi, is virtually not used outside the country; and Chinese capital markets are not a significant source of financing for foreign borrowers. China's modest level of integration into the global financial system is explained by the emphasis given to domestic policy priorities. As the Chinese economy matures, and as reforms strengthen the domestic financial system, China will become more important in global financial markets. Changes are already occurring as China's financial might is being channeled towards overseas investments, and the authorities have committed to greater exchange rate flexibility. These changes will facilitate integration into the global financial system. In this article, the authors describe the current situation and speculate on the future evolution of Chinese financial institutions and markets.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes, Financial markets, International topics

• Policy Coordination in an International Payment System

  Staff Working Paper 2008-17 James Chapman

  Given the increasing interdependence of both financial systems and attendant payment and settlement systems a vital question is what form should optimal policy take when there are two connected payment systems with separate regulators.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, E5, E58, F, F3, F31, F33

• China's Exchange Rate Policy: A Survey of the Literature

  Staff Discussion Paper 2008-5 Robert Lafrance

  China's integration into the world economy has benefited its people by reducing poverty and raising living standards, and it has benefited the industrialized world by producing manufactured goods at lower cost. It has also raised geopolitical concerns as China's power grows, economic concerns as the manufacturing base in many industrialized countries erodes, and polemics as proposals of protectionist measures to counter China's export growth are put forward.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes JEL Code(s): F, F3, F33, F36

• Sterilized Intervention in Emerging-Market Economies: Trends, Costs, and Risks

  Staff Discussion Paper 2008-4 Robert Lavigne

  The author examines recent trends in sterilized intervention among emerging-market economies, to determine the size and extent of this policy in relation to earlier periods of heavy reserve accumulation. He then analyzes whether the domestic costs and risks of substantial and prolonged sterilization are beginning to manifest themselves.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Topic(s): Exchange rate regimes, Financial stability, International topics JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, F, F3, F31, O, O2, O24
• March 18, 2008

  Canada's Experience with a Flexible Exchange Rate in the 1950s: Valuable Lessons Learned

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2008 Lawrence L. Schembri

  Schembri studies Canada's post-World War II experience in introducing a floating exchange rate, including its effects on the Canadian economy and its influence on the development of macroeconomic theory. In particular, Canada's flexible exchange rate and high degree of capital mobility with the United States provided an unprecedented experiment for macroeconomic policy. The successes and difficulties encountered by Canadian authorities in managing monetary and fiscal policy under this regime drew the interest of researchers at the International Monetary Fund and elsewhere and had a significant impact on the development of the Mundell-Fleming model, the path-breaking innovation in modern open-economy macroeconomics.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Central bank research, Exchange rate regimes, Monetary policy framework

• Welfare Effects of Commodity Price and Exchange Rate Volatilities in a Multi-Sector Small Open Economy Model

  Staff Working Paper 2008-8 Ali Dib

  This paper develops a multi-sector New Keynesian model of a small open economy that includes commodity, manufacturing, non-tradable, and import sectors. Price and wage rigidities are sector specific, modelled à la Calvo-Yun style contracts.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Economic models, Exchange rate regimes, International topics JEL Code(s): E, E4, E5, E52, F, F3, F4