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Dirty float or clean intervention? The Bank of England in the foreign exchange market

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  • Alain Naef

Abstract

The effectiveness of central bank intervention is debated and despite literature showing mixed results, central banks regularly intervene in the foreign exchange market, both in developing and developed economies. Does foreign exchange intervention work? Using over 60,000 new daily observations on intervention and exchange rates, this paper is the first to study the Bank of England's foreign exchange intervention between 1952 and 1972. The main finding is that the Bank was unsuccessful in managing a credible exchange rate over that period. Running an event study, I demonstrate that betting systematically against the Bank of England would have been a profitable trading strategy. Pressures increased in the 1960s and the Bank eventually manipulated the publication of its reserve figures to avoid a run on sterling.

Suggested Citation

  • Alain Naef, 2021. "Dirty float or clean intervention? The Bank of England in the foreign exchange market," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 25(1), pages 180-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ereveh:v:25:y:2021:i:1:p:180-201.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ereh/heaa011
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    Cited by:

    1. Eichengreen, Barry & Naef, Alain, 2022. "Imported or home grown? The 1992–3 EMS crisis," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    2. repec:osf:socarx:bfehz_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Alain Naef & Jacob P. Weber, 2021. "Regional How Powerful is Unannounced, Sterilized Foreign Exchange Intervention?," Working papers 834, Banque de France.
    4. Guillaume Bazot & Eric Monnet & Matthias Morys, 2024. "Central banks and the absorption of international shocks (1891-2019)," Working Papers halshs-04778323, HAL.
    5. Michael D. Bordo & Oliver Bush & Bank of England, 2025. ""Muddling Through or Tunnelling Through?" UK Monetary and Fiscal Exceptionalism and The Great Inflation," Working Papers 347, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    6. Alain Naef & Jacob P. Weber, 2023. "How Powerful Is Unannounced, Sterilized Foreign Exchange Intervention?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(5), pages 1307-1319, August.
    7. Naef, Alain, 2024. "Blowing against the Wind? a narrative approach to central Bank foreign exchange intervention," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    8. repec:osf:socarx:zfsq7_v1 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E50 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - General
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • N14 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N24 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: 1913-

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