The J Curve effect a depreciation in the exchange rate can cause a deterioration of the current account in the short-term (because demand is inelastic). However, in the long-term, demand becomes more price elastic and therefore, the current account begins to improve. The J-Curve is related to the Marshall-Lerner condition, which states: If (PED x …
The Asian financial crisis of 1997 refers to a macroeconomic shock experienced by several Asian economies – including Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia. Typically countries experienced rapid devaluation and capital outflows as investor confidence turned from over-exuberance to contagious pessimism as the structural imbalances in the economy became more apparent. The crisis of ’97-99 …
Readers Question: Is a strong economy generally accompanied by a strong currency? In short, a strong economy is generally characterised by a strong currency. When the economy is doing well, and at a boom period of the economic cycle it implies higher interest rates to keep inflation low. These higher interest rates will attract hot …
There was a global recession in 1974, 1980-81, 1991-92 and 2007. Readers Question: In this period of recession, is gold a safe investment? Gold is traditionally seen as a safe investment, especially during a time of financial uncertainty, high inflation, depreciating exchange rates and economic recession. The main reason is that gold has an intrinsic …
The Euro is the single European countries adopted by 18/28 EU countries. (though not the UK). It is the second-largest reserve currency in the world after the US Dollar. Euro notes and coins came into circulation on January 1st, 2002. It was hoped that the Euro would confer many benefits on member countries. 1. Lower …
Arbitrage occurs when an investor can make a profit from simultaneously buying and selling a commodity in two different markets. For example, gold may be traded on both New York and Tokyo stock exchanges. If the market price temporarily diverges and gold becomes cheaper on Japanese markets, then an arbitrageur could buy in Tokyo and …
A currency carry trade occurs when people borrow in one currency and invest in another country. For example, suppose Japanese interest rates are 0% and US interest rates are 5%. In this case, an investor can buy Yen and borrow from a Japanese bank at 0% interest. He can then exchange Yen for Dollars and …
An adverse supply-side shock is an event that causes an unexpected increase in costs or disruption to production. This will cause the short-run aggregate supply curve to shift to the left, leading to higher inflation and lower output. Diagram showing supply-side shock SRAS shifting to the left causes a higher price level and lower real …