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Current Account Surpluses and the Interest Rate Island in Switzerland

Author

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  • Mr. Paolo Mauro

Abstract

This paper describes some long-run aspects of the Swiss balance of payments, highlighting two macroeconomic phenomena that make Switzerland stand out among other countries: first, it has had a persistent current account surplus and the largest ratio of net foreign assets to GDP in the world; second, its real interest rates have been significantly lower than those of most other industrialized countries, earning it the label “interest rate island”. These two distinctive features may be related, and ultimately both may result from an excess of national savings over investment for many years. The real interest differential may largely be attributed to a foreign exchange rate risk premium, which compensates Swiss residents for holding net assets in foreign currency and foreign residents for bearing net liabilities in Swiss francs.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Paolo Mauro, 1995. "Current Account Surpluses and the Interest Rate Island in Switzerland," IMF Working Papers 1995/024, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:1995/024
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    File URL: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=1102
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Laxton, Douglas & Prasad, Eswar, 2001. "Possible effects of European Monetary Union on Switzerland," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 531-551, July.
    2. Peter Kugler & Beatrice Weder, 2002. "The Puzzle of the Swiss Interest Rate Island: Stylized Facts and a New Interpretation," Aussenwirtschaft, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science, Swiss Institute for International Economics and Applied Economics Research, vol. 57(01), pages 49-64, March.
    3. Berk, Jan Marc & Knot, Klaas H. W., 2001. "Testing for long horizon UIP using PPP-based exchange rate expectations," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 377-391, February.
    4. International Monetary Fund, 2012. "Switzerland: 2012 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; Statement by the Executive Director for Switzerland," IMF Staff Country Reports 2012/106, International Monetary Fund.
    5. Irineu Carvalho Filho, 2015. "Risk-Off Episodes and Swiss Franc Appreciation: The Role of Capital Flows," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 16(4), pages 439-463, November.

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