The Impact of Currency Misalignment on Trade Balance of Emerging Market Economies

This study is an attempt to examine the impact of currency misalignment on the trade balance of emerging market economies from 1980 through 2016. It firstly measures the equilibrium RER and corresponding misalignment series of 21 EMEs separately adopting a single equation approach and then includes them in the trade regression together with undervaluation and overvaluation to estimate the dynamic relationship between the trade balance and real exchange rate misalignment employing the system generalized method of moment estimation approach. The study suggests that, being a composite series of undervaluation and overvaluation, higher real exchange rate misalignment helps recover trade imbalances. It also identifies that undervaluation improves trade balance, while overvaluation cuts it down. The study identifies that the misalignment series of RER for most of the EMEs are substantially dominated by overvaluation episodes, and hence the opposing impact of undervaluation and currency misalignment on the trade balance of EMEs is not surprising. From the policy perspective, competitiveness achieved through currency movements helps emerging market economies not only to improve trade balance but also to withstand vulnerability that arises from huge external borrowings creating a strong external payment position.

Determinants of Foreign Capital Inflows in Emerging Markets: The Role of Institutional Quality

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the key determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI) in emerging market economies, with greater emphasis placed on the impact of institutional quality. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study applied a panel data system generalised method of moments (GMM) model using annual data spanning the period 2007 to 2017, in respect of 12 emerging market economies. To measure institutional quality, the study adopted the Worldwide Governance Indicators, and constructed a composite index for institutional quality using the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) method. Findings: The results revealed that FDI in the selected emerging markets was attracted by institutional quality and economic growth. Capital account openness, institutional quality and economic growth were positive determinants of FPI. However, stock market development stood out as the key determinant factor for foreign capital inflows. Implications/Originality/Value: The implications of these findings are that, in their pursuit of foreign capital inflows, these emerging markets should continue to liberalise their economies and develop their financial markets. Importantly, such developments must be coupled with the strengthening of the formal governance institutions. Robust institutions would not only curb institutional weaknesses that deter international capital inflows, but would also insulate emerging markets from unfavourable effects of volatile capital flows.

Inflation targeting and economic performance over the crisis: evidence from emerging market economies

PurposeInflation targeting has increasingly become a popular monetary framework since its first introduction in New Zealand at the beginning of 1990. However, the causality effects of this policy on economic performance, particularly in periods of economic turmoil remain controversial. Thus, this paper re-examines the treatment effect of inflation targeting on two important macro indicators which are inflation rate and output growth with the focus on emerging market economies. The global financial crisis, which is known as the great recession since the last decade, is investigated as an exogenous shock to test for the effectiveness of this popular regime.Design/methodology/approachThe difference-in-difference approach in the fixed-model is employed for this investigation using a balanced panel data of 54 countries with 15 inflation-targeting countries for the period 2002 to 2010.FindingsThe examination finds that there is no significant difference in terms of the inflation rate and gross domestic product growth over the whole research period between the treatment and control groups. However, the outcome suggests that emerging economies can control the increase in inflation rate when the economy has to cope with the exogenous uncertainties.Research limitations/implicationsThis finding indicates important policy implications for central banks in many countries.Originality/valueInflation targeting can help emerging countries to reduce an increase in inflation rate in the crisis period without many trade-offs in the growth of output.