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The renminbi (RMB) has evolved in four phases since its mid-2005 unpegging from the US dollar. After a year's transition, the RMB's effective exchange rate traded for two years within narrow bands around an appreciating trend. That is, the RMB behaved as if it were managed to strengthen gradually against trading partners’ currencies. This experiment was interrupted in mid-2008 and the RMB stabilized against a strong dollar amidst the global financial crisis. If Chinese policy were to return to effective currency stability and other East Asian countries were to pursue similar policies, regional currency stability would be enhanced. That would create more favorable conditions for an evolution towards monetary cooperation.

This chapter examines exchange rate options for East Asian countries, taking into account their real economic linkages as well as their international financial relations. Particular consideration is given to possible exchange rate cooperation within the region. For this purpose, the literature on the optimal peg is reconsidered and subsequently extended to include a country's international financial asset and liability situation. That is, instead of focusing solely on nominal or real effective exchange rates, the chapter proposes a blend of “real” and “financial” exchange rates for analyzing “optimal” exchange rate policy.

We investigate fluctuations in the nominal effective exchange rates (NEERs) of East Asian currencies and the Asian monetary unit (AMU), which is computed as a weighted average of East Asian currencies during the global financial crisis. We find that NEERs were more stable for countries that continued to follow a currency basket system during the global financial crisis.

Furthermore, we investigate the relationships among NEERs, AMU, and AMU deviation indicators, which indicate the extent of the deviation in the exchange rate of each East Asian currency from a benchmark rate given in terms of the AMU. By comparing NEERs with a combination of AMU and AMU deviation indicators, we find that there is a strong relationship between them, both before and after the global financial crisis. These results indicate that a coordinated exchange rate policy aimed at stabilizing the AMU deviation indicators will be effective in stabilizing the NEERs of East Asian currencies. In this respect, the AMU deviation indicators, which indicate intraregional exchange rates among East Asian currencies, play a crucial role.

Because NEER trade weights are widely similar among East Asian currencies, a policy aimed at stabilizing a home currency against its NEER may lead to a coordinated exchange rate policy without a common consensus among East Asian countries. In the future, however, coordinated monetary policies should be considered along with coordinated exchange rate policies.

This study aims to analyze exchange rate risks and the choice of exchange rate policies in a small open economy indebted in foreign currency, incorporating the financial accelerator mechanism.

To examine discussions on the fear of floating, this study develops a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model in which a small open economy model has an open economy financial accelerator mechanism as the external borrowing restriction. The author then compares and analyzes the macroeconomic dynamics in response to an exchange rate shock under different exchange rate systems.

The most interesting finding is that the currency peg for a foreign currency used in borrowing is more efficient than the trade-weighted currency basket policy, regardless of trade openness or trade share.

The result implies that in discussions on the fear of floating, more attention needs to be paid to exchange rate risks in finance. It also suggests that exchange rate policy used to mitigate exchange rate risks in finance stabilizes macroeconomic volatility more efficiently.

The paper provides an answer to the question: which is the more serious problem in the fear of floating and to what would the regime be anchored.

The assignment of targets to instruments in developing countries cannot satisfactorily follow any simple universal rule. Which approach is appropriate is influenced by whether the economy is dominated by primary exports, by the importance of the domestic bond market and bank credit, by the extent of existing restriction in foreign exchange and financial markets, by the presence or absence of persistent high inflation, and by the existence or non‐existence of an active international market in the country's currency. Eighteen observations and maxims on stabilisation policy are tentatively drawn (pp. 64–8) from the material reviewed, and the maxims are partly summarised (pp. 69–71) in a schematic assignment, with variations, of targets to instruments.

Norway is a small nation state on the northernmost coastline of Western Europe, integrated in the Western world economy. For centuries Norway's integration in the world economy had been based on exports of raw materials such as fish and timber, as well as shipping services. In the early 20th century, furnace-based metals (made possible by cheap hydropower) were added to this export basket. Just as the world economy entered an increasingly unstable phase in 1970s, another natural resource was discovered in Norway: petroleum – that is, oil and natural gas from the North Sea. This chapter analyses the challenges and possibilities inherent in the Norwegian strategy of developing an oil economy in a world economic situation influenced by new and stronger forms of international integration through the four decades between 1970 and 2010.

The purpose of this paper is, to study macroeconomic risk factors driving the expected stock returns of listed private equity (LPE). The authors use LPE indices divided into different styles and regions from January 2004 to December 2016 and a set of country stock indices to estimate the macroeconomic risk profiles and corresponding risk premiums. Using a seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model to estimate factor sensitivities, the authors document that LPE indices exhibit stock market βs that are greater than 1. A one-factor asset pricing model using world stock market returns as the only possible risk factor is rejected on the basis of generalized method of moments (GMM) orthogonality conditions. In contrast, using the change in a currency basket, the G-7 industrial production, the G-7 term spread, the G-7 inflation rate and a recently proposed indicator of economic policy uncertainty as additional risk factors, this multifactor model is able to price a cross-section of expected LPE returns. The risk-return profile of LPE differs from country equity indices. Consequently, LPE should be treated as a separate asset class.

Following Ferson and Harvey (1994), the authors use an unconditional asset pricing model to capture the structure of returns across LPE. The authors use 11 LPE indices divided into different styles and regions from January 2004 to December 2016, and a set of country stock indices as spanning assets to estimate the macroeconomic risk profiles and corresponding risk premiums.

Using a seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model to estimate factor sensitivities, the authors document that LPE indices exhibit stock market ßs that are greater than 1. The authors estimate a one-factor asset pricing model using world stock market returns as the only possible risk factor by GMM. This model is rejected on the basis of the GMM orthogonality conditions. By contrast, a multifactor model built on the change in a currency basket, the G-7 industrial production, the G-7 term spread, the G-7 inflation rate and a recently proposed indicator of global economic policy uncertainty as additional risk factors is able to price a cross-section of expected LPE returns.

Given data availability, the authors’ sample is strongly influenced by the financial crisis and its aftermath.

Information about the risk profile of LPE is important for asset allocation decisions. In particular, it may help to optimally react to contemporaneous changes in economy-wide risk factors.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first LPE study which investigates whether a set of macroeconomic factors is actually priced and, therefore, associated with a non-zero risk premium in the cross-section of returns.

This paper aims to examine the feasibility of a Common Currency Area (CCA) among ten MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Countries. The ten sample countries constitute the six GCC Countries and the four Agadir nations.

Macroeconomic data for the 34‐year‐period 1970‐2003 is used. Feasibility is examined by analyzing the symmetry of response of countries within each group to a common external shock. The impulse response functions (IRF) from a Vector Autoregression Model is used. The strength of linkages within each economic bloc was examined using Pearson pairwise correlation and variance decomposition.

Among GCC countries, the results show the existence of strong linkages among the monetary variables, signifying strong monetary sector integration. Such integration however is lacking where the real sector is concerned. Despite the symmetry seen in the impulse response functions, variance decomposition showed the absence of any meaningful influence of countries on each other within the bloc. Amongst the Agadir nations, the results show no correlation in real output growth, some correlation among monetary variables but no symmetry whatsoever in response to external shocks. The variance decomposition too did not show mutual influence intra group.

The lack of real sector integration will present a challenge to GCC's desired goal of a CCA by 2010. The Agadir nations appear to be simply a loosely knit economic grouping with little integration of any kind. Thus, hopes of a CCA among Agadir nations is far too premature.

The paper concludes that the GCC is, at present, a quasi‐monetary bloc with little real sector integration.

This paper seeks to provide foreign exchange risk measurement/management techniques and strategies that can be applied to investment and trading portfolios in emerging financial markets, such as the Moroccan foreign exchange market, with the objective of setting up the basis of a methodology/procedure for the measurement, management and control of foreign exchange exposures in the day‐to‐day trading operations.

Demonstrates a proactive approach for the measurements, management and control of market risk exposure for financial trading portfolios that contain foreign exchange securities. This approach is based on the renowned concept of value‐at‐risk (VAR) along with the creation of a software tool utilizing matrix‐algebra technique. In order to illustrate the proper use of VAR and stress‐testing methods, real‐world examples and practical reports of foreign exchange trading risk management are presented for the Moroccan Dirham.

To this end, several case studies were achieved with the objective of setting up a practical framework of trading risk measurement and control reports in addition to the inception of procedures for the calculation of VAR's limits. Moreover, the effects of hedging of foreign exchange trading exposures with reciprocal equity trading positions were explored and quantified. Finally, initial empirical tests of the long‐term behavior of the Moroccan foreign exchange and debt markets were quantified and analyzed.

In this work, key foreign exchange trading risk management methods, rules and procedures that financial entities, regulators and policymakers should consider in setting up their daily foreign exchange trading risk management objectives are examined and adapted to the specific needs of emerging markets, such as in the context of the Moroccan foreign exchange market.

This paper fills a gap in the foreign exchange risk management literature especially in the emerging markets perspective. The risk management procedures that are discussed in this work will aid financial markets' participants, regulators and policymakers in founding sound and up‐to‐date policies to handle foreign exchange risk exposures.

The aim of this paper is to fill a gap in the foreign‐exchange trading risk‐management literature and particularly from the perspective of emerging and illiquid markets, such as in the context of the Moroccan foreign‐exchange market.

This paper, demonstrates a constructive approach, for the management of trading risk exposure of foreign‐exchange securities, which takes into account proper adjustments for the illiquidity of both long and short trading positions. The approach is based on the renowned concept of value at risk (VaR) along with the innovation of a software tool utilizing matrix‐algebra and other optimization techniques.

Several case studies, on the Moroccan Dirham, were achieved with the objective of setting‐up a practical framework of trading risk measurement, management and control reports, in addition to the inception of a practical procedure for the calculation of optimum VaR limits structure.

In this work, the risk‐management procedures that are discussed will aid financial markets' participants, regulators and policymakers, operating within emerging economies, in founding sound and proactive policies to handle foreign‐exchange trading risk exposures. The document includes comprehensive theory, analyses sections, conclusions and recommendations, and full real‐world foreign‐exchange trading risk‐management reports.

Although a substantial literature has examined the statistical and economic meaning of VaR models, this article provides real‐world techniques and optimum asset allocation strategies that are useful for trading portfolios in emerging and illiquid financial markets. This is with the objective of setting‐up the basis of a proactive methodology/procedure for the measurement, management and control of foreign‐exchange exposures in the day‐to‐day trading operations.