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Persistent Real Exchange Rates

Author

Listed:
  • Alok Johri

    (Economics McMaster University)

  • Amartya Lahiri

Abstract

This paper revisits three features of the data that are widely known: (a) there exists a high correlation between bilateral nominal and real exchange rates; (b) real exchange rate movements are highly persistent; and (c) real exchange rates are highly volatile. The paper attempts a joint, albeit partial, rationalization of these facts in an environment where prices are preset for only one quarter and there are no staggered contracts. The key innovation is that we augment a standard two-country open economy model with learning-by-doing in production at the firm level. This induces monopolistically competitive firms to endogeneize the productivity effect of their price setting behavior. Specifically, firms endogenously choose not to adjust prices by the full proportion of a positive monetary shock in order to take advantage of the productivity benefits of higher production. We show that the calibrated model can quantitatively reproduce significant fractions of the aforementioned facts.

Suggested Citation

  • Alok Johri & Amartya Lahiri, 2006. "Persistent Real Exchange Rates," 2006 Meeting Papers 281, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed006:281
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    Cited by:

    1. Crucini, Mario J. & Shintani, Mototsugu & Tsuruga, Takayuki, 2010. "Accounting for persistence and volatility of good-level real exchange rates: The role of sticky information," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 48-60, May.
    2. Melina, Giovanni & Yang, Shu-Chun S. & Zanna, Luis-Felipe, 2016. "Debt sustainability, public investment, and natural resources in developing countries: The DIGNAR model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 52(PB), pages 630-649.
    3. Tervala, Juha, 2013. "Learning by devaluating: A supply-side effect of competitive devaluation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 275-290.
    4. Keqiang Hou & Alok Johri, 2018. "Intangible Capital, the Labor Wedge and the Volatility of Corporate Profits," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 29, pages 216-234, July.
    5. Lukasz A. Drozd & Jaromir B. Nosal, 2012. "Understanding International Prices: Customers as Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 364-395, February.
    6. Viktoria Hnatkovska & Michael Devereux, 2009. "International and Intra-national Real Exchange Rates: Evidence and Theory," 2009 Meeting Papers 1213, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Alok Johri & Bidyut Talukdar, 2023. "Organizational capital and optimal Ramsey taxation," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 193-210, July.
    8. Li, Xing & Hou, Keqiang, 2019. "R&D based knowledge capital and future firm growth: Evidence from China’s Growth Enterprise Market firms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 287-298.
    9. Candian, Giacomo, 2019. "Information frictions and real exchange rate dynamics," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 189-205.
    10. Dmitriev, Alexandre & Roberts, Ivan, 2012. "International business cycles with complete markets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 862-875.
    11. Bergin, Paul R. & Lin, Ching-Yi, 2012. "The dynamic effects of a currency union on trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 191-204.
    12. Johri, Alok & Letendre, Marc-André & Luo, Daqing, 2011. "Organizational capital and the international co-movement of investment," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 511-523.
    13. Drozd, Lukasz A. & Nosal, Jaromir B., 2010. "Pricing to Market in Business Cycle Models," MPRA Paper 22513, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Talukdar, Bidyut, 2017. "Learning-by-doing, organizational capital and optimal markup variations," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 39-47.
    15. Carlos Carvalho & Fernanda Nechio & Fang Yao, 2014. "Monetary Policy and Real Exchange Rate Dynamics in Sticky-Price Models," Working Paper Series 2014-17, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    16. Alok Johri & Muhebullah Karimzada, 2021. "Learning efficiency shocks, knowledge capital and the business cycle: A Bayesian evaluation," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(3), pages 1314-1360, November.
    17. Carlos Carvalho & Fernanda Nechio, 2011. "Aggregation and the PPP Puzzle in a Sticky-Price Model," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2391-2424, October.
    18. Talukdar Bidyut, 2014. "Organizational learning and optimal fiscal and monetary policy," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 445-475, January.
    19. Crucini, Mario J. & Shintani, Mototsugu & Tsuruga, Takayuki, 2014. "Real exchange rate dynamics in sticky wage models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 160-163.
    20. Keqiang Hou & Alok Johri, 2009. "Intangible Capital, Corporate Earnings and the Business Cycle," Department of Economics Working Papers 2009-17, McMaster University.
    21. Faltermeier, Julia & Lama, Ruy & Medina, Juan Pablo, 2022. "Foreign exchange intervention for commodity booms and busts," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    22. Malik, Kashif Zaheer & Ali, Syed Zahid & Khalid, Ahmed M., 2014. "Intangible capital in a real business cycle model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 32-48.
    23. Christopher Gunn & Alok Johri, 2011. "News and knowledge capital," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 14(1), pages 92-101, January.
    24. Alok Johri & Terry Yip, 2017. "Financial Shocks,Supply-chain Relationships and the Great Trade Collapse," Department of Economics Working Papers 2017-11, McMaster University.
    25. Kegiang Hou & Alok Johri, 2013. "Intangible Capital and the Excess Volatility of Aggregate Profits," Department of Economics Working Papers 2013-04, McMaster University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Real exchange rate movements; endogenous price stickiness; learning-by-doing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business

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