Modelling the impact of central bank intervention on exchange rate volatility under inflation targeting

This article empirically investigates the effect of central bank’s foreign exchange interventions on the level and volatility of the Uganda shilling/US dollar exchange rate (UGX/USD) under an inflation-targeting regime. Utilizing daily data spanning the period 1 September 2005, to 31 December 2015, we estimate a foreign exchange intervention model within a GARCH theoretic framework. Empirical results indicate that foreign exchange interventions have had mixed impact on the volatility of the exchange rate. We find that inflation targeting is capable of curbing temporary exchange rate shocks. Empirical results indicate that while order flow is capable of reducing exchange rate volatility, an increase in the operating target rate, the 7-day interbank rate tends to exacerbate exchange rate volatility. Our empirical results are robust to alternative model specifications. We argue that inflation targeting is an effective monetary policy tool for curbing exchange rate volatility.