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New Zealand's Current Account Deficit: Analysis based on the Intertemporal Optimisation Approach

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  • Kim Kunhong
  • Hall Viv
  • Buckle Robert

Abstract

New Zealand's Current Account of the Balance of Payments has been persistently in deficit since the early 1970s and increased markedly during the late 1990s. Is this a cause for significant concern? This paper tackles this question by evaluating New Zealand's external solvency, the degree of optimality of the intertemporal consumption smoothing through its current account, and whether its international financial capital flows have been used in an optimal (consumption-smoothing) fashion. We carry out statistical tests in relation to external solvency. We also estimate a "benchmark" consumption-smoothing component for its current account based on an intertemporal optimisation model in order to carry out tests of the optimality of the size and volatility of the current account. We could not reject the hypotheses that New Zealand's current account was consistent with optimal smoothing, that the external solvency condition has been satisfied, and that there is "no excess volatility" in international financial capital flows.
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  • Kim Kunhong & Hall Viv & Buckle Robert, 2010. "New Zealand's Current Account Deficit: Analysis based on the Intertemporal Optimisation Approach," EcoMod2002 330800040, EcoMod.
    • Handle: RePEc:ekd:003308:330800040
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    Cited by:

    1. Mr. Jacques A Miniane & Benoît Mercereau, 2004. "Challenging the Empirical Evidence From Present Value Models of the Current Account," IMF Working Papers 2004/106, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Iris Claus & David Haugh & Grant Scobie & Jonas Tornquist, 2001. "Saving and growth in an open economy," Treasury Working Paper Series 01/32, New Zealand Treasury.
    3. Chen, Shyh-Wei, 2011. "Current account deficits and sustainability: Evidence from the OECD countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 1455-1464, July.
    4. Anthony Makin & Wei Zhang & Grant Scobie, 2009. "The contribution of foreign borrowing to the New Zealand economy," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 263-278.
    5. Khundrakpam, J. K. & Ranjan, Rajiv, 2008. "Can an Inter-temporal Model Explain India's Current Account Balance?," MPRA Paper 50928, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Geoff Bertram, 2002. "Factor income shares, the banking sector, the exchange rate, and the New Zealand current account deficit," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(2), pages 177-198.
    7. Lau, Evan & Baharumshah, Ahmad Zubaidi & Habibullah, Muzafar Shah, 2007. "Accounting for the Current Account Behavior in ASEAN-5," MPRA Paper 1322, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Miles Workman, 2015. "Estimating the Cyclically- and Absorption-adjusted Fiscal Balance for New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 15/09, New Zealand Treasury.
    9. International Monetary Fund, 2006. "New Zealand: Selected Issues," IMF Staff Country Reports 2006/161, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Kim, Kunhong & Hall, Viv B. & Buckle, Robert A., 2006. "Consumption-smoothing in a small, cyclically volatile open economy: Evidence from New Zealand," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(8), pages 1277-1295, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements

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