Decomposition of the Sources of Real Exchange Rate Misalignment in Egypt: Evidence from the ARDL Model

This paper examines the behavior of the real exchange rate in Egypt over the period 1965–2018 by attempting to pursue three interrelated purposes. The first is to investigate the extent of deviations between the actual exchange rate and its equilibrium level and illustrate the magnitude of any currency misalignments. The second is to search for the different phases of over- and undervaluation of the local currency and explain the accompanying economic policies and/or factors leading to them. The third and ultimate purpose is to explore the role of transitory and permanent factors in deviating the actual real exchange rate from its equilibrium level. Understanding these factors should help in the design of economic policies directed to address the misalignment of the local currency. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test approach is used and conducted for both the bilateral and effective real exchange rates to achieve these three purposes during the selected period. To derive the equilibrium exchange rate estimate, the behavioral equilibrium exchange rate (BEER) approach is adopted. The findings reveal that the Egyptian pound was misaligned from its equilibrium value during most of the examined period. The results confirm the relative importance of the terms of trade and degree of openness variables in determining the equilibrium real exchange rate in Egypt followed by investment ratio and government consumption variables. The local currency witnessed a recent phase of overvaluation, which began in 2009, until the free float of the local currency in November 2016, after which, the Egyptian pound was found to have experienced a new phase of undervaluation till the end of the period examined. The findings show a considerable relative impact of fundamental-based factors over a prolonged period spanning from 1986 to 2003 and at the end of the period examined as well. Moreover, the documented results lend general support to the fact that both permanent or fundamental-based factors and short-run shocks prove to be important influential factors impacting currency misalignment in Egypt.

Cation-exchange properties of sediments in the Central depression of the Barents Sea

The article presents data on the study of cation exchange properties of sediments in the Central depression of the Barents Sea relative to heavy metals. The experiments were carried out both on sediments of natural moisture and on sediments after removal of sludge water. The maximum values of the equilibrium exchange capacity of sediments containing and not containing silt water practically coincide and are (in mg-eqv/g) in Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd – 0.20-0.28; Pb – 0.28-0.40; Cu – 0.36-0.66. According to the obtained values of the exchange capacity of precipitation belong to the class of adsorbents. The influence of sediments size and concentration of metal salt solutions on the exchange capacity of precipitation was studied. It is concluded that, on the one hand, precipitation contributes to the circulation of heavy metal cations in the marine environment, on the other hand, sediments can be considered as cleaners and pollutants of marine waters.

Estimation of fiscal rule impact on Russian ruble equilibrium exchange rate

This paper describes a new approach that makes it possible to assess the impact of foreign exchange interventions implemented under the fiscal rule on the Russian ruble equilibrium exchange rate. The essence of the approach is to quantify the impact of foreign exchange interventions carried out within the framework of the fiscal rule on the balance of supply and demand of foreign exchange, and to reflect this influence in macroeconomic models using the “effective” oil price indicator. The article describes in detail the calculation of this indicator. The advantage of using the “effective” oil price indicator compared to alternative methods lies in the efficiency (the ability to apply for monthly data), simplicity (the possibility of using for scenario forecasting of the exchange rate), as well as the flexibility of the method (the possibility of taking into account periods of suspension of the fiscal rule and deferred purchases). The current gap in the real effective exchange rate of Russian ruble was calculated based on the data for February 2008 — October 2019. The assessment of the contribution of the fiscal rule to the equilibrium value of the real exchange rate was about 2 pp., at the end of 2019 Russian ruble was overvalued.

The real equilibrium exchange rate in a commodity­exporting economy: the experience of Azerbaijan

The case of Azerbaijan serves to study the adequacy of exchange-rate policy in a resource-rich economy. This paper analyses the behavior of Azerbaijan’s external accounts over the past twenty years. Declining oil prices made an existing exchange-rate peg unsustainable and led to a large devaluation in 2015. Since then, the current account balance has improved, but by less than expected. We use the EBA-Lite method to derive regression-based estimates of the equilibrium real exchange rate, and relate misalignments to measures of “policy gaps”. Our findings suggest that only a few years after the devaluation, Azerbaijan’s currency has once more become overvalued. Moreover, the equilibrium real exchange rate is volatile and hardly compatible with a long-run exchange rate peg. Exchange rate policy should try to accommodate shifts in the fundamental determinants such as relative productivity and real oil prices.

REER Imbalances and Macroeconomic Adjustments: Evidence from the CEMAC Zone

The European Monetary Union (EMU) crisis holds special lessons for existing monetary unions. We assess the behaviour of real effective exchange rates (REERs) of members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community zone with respect to their long-term equilibrium paths. A reduced form of the fundamental equilibrium exchange rate model is estimated for associated misalignments. Our findings suggest that for majority of countries, macroeconomic fundamentals have the expected associations with the exchange rate fluctuations. The analysis also reveals that only the REER adjustments of Cameroon and Gabon are significant in restoring the long-term equilibrium in the event of a shock. The Cameroonian economic fundamentals of terms of trade, government expenditure and openness have different long-term relations with the REER in comparison to those of other member states. There is no need for an adjustment in the level of the peg based on the present quantitative analysis of REER paths. JEL: F31, F33, F42, F61, O55

Testing deviations from PPP and UIP: evidence from BRICS economies

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the interrelations between purchasing power parity (PPP) and uncovered interest parity (UIP) in BRICS economies, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, by checking the validity of the capital-enhanced equilibrium exchange rate (CHEER) approach. Further, this study tests whether the CHEER results are data frequency-dependent. Design/methodology/approach The present study uses monthly data ranging from 1997M01 to 2016M12 and considers the US economy as the representative foreign country. The study uses structural break unit root test and structural break cointegration technique to test the presence of economic relationships between nominal exchange rates and each of the price and interest rate differentials. Then, the study examines the validity of the CHEER approach by testing the appropriate theoretical restrictions. Findings The cointegration results suggest the existence of two cointegrating vectors representing UIP and PPP conditions. For all countries, the data appear to support the hypothesis that the system contains UIP and PPP relations. However, each of the international parity hypotheses is strongly rejected when formulated in isolation and jointly, leading to repudiation of the CHEER validity. Further, it is found that the results are data frequency-dependent and suggest that higher frequencies should be used as they provide additional information. Originality/value First, the literature on equilibrium exchange rates in BRICS economies is scanty. BRICS economies are large-emerging economies and one of the fastest growing economies and thus entail an empirical enquiry on their exchange rates. Second, the empirical application has mainly used monthly data to test the validity of the CHEER approach. However, data frequencies could affect the results. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to check data frequency-dependency in examination of the CHEER approach.