How do COVID-19 containment policies affect currency status?

We employed copula-dynamic conditional correlation and threshold approaches to investigate the status of the JPY, CHF, EUR and GBP during the COVID-19 period vis-à-vis various kinds of assets - specifically, stocks, government bonds, currencies and commodities. Further, we investigated how containment policies affected currency status. We classified currency status into diversifier, hedge and safe-haven currencies. Our main findings were as follows: first, while currency status' behaviours differ in different asset markets, the JPY acted as a hedge in stock, emerging countries' currency and commodity markets in tranquil periods, and acted as a safe haven in times of financial stress. Second, the currency of a country with strict containment policies tended to appreciate when market uncertainty increased, suggesting that the roles of the EUR, CHF and GBP as diversifiers and that of the JPY as a hedge strengthened. Third, vaccination might have contributed in reducing negative investor sentiment and their COVID-19-related concerns.