Exchange Rate Determination

Chapter 4
Exchange Rate Determination
For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Jeff Madura and Roland Fox 9781408079812
Cengage Learning EMEA 2014
Chapter Objectives
To explain how exchange rate

movements are measured.
To explain how the equilibrium
exchange rate is determined.
To examine the factors that affect the
equilibrium exchange rate.
Measuring Exchange Rate

Movements (1)
An exchange rate measures the value of one

currency in units of another currency.
When a currency declines in value, it is said to
depreciate. When it increases in value, it is
said to appreciate.
On the days when some currencies appreciate
while others depreciate against a particular
currency, that currency is said to be mixed in
trading.
Measuring Exchange Rate

Movements (2)
The percentage change (% in the value
of a foreign currency is computed as
St S t 1
St 1
where St denotes the spot rate at time t.
A positive % represents appreciation of the foreign

currency, while a negative % represents
depreciation.

Annual Changes
in the Value of the Euro
Date
1/1/2000
1/1/2001
1/1/2002
1/1/2003
1/1/2004
Exchange Rate
$1.001/
$.94/
$.89/
$1.05/
$1.26/
Annual %
6.1%
5.3%
+18.0%
+20.0%

Factors that Influence

Exchange Rates (1)
e f INF , INT , INC , GC , EXP
e
=percentage change in the spot rate
INF =change in the relative inflation rate
INT =change in the relative interest rate
INC =change in the relative income level
GC =change in government controls
EXP= change in expectations of future
exchange
rates

Exchange Rates (2)
Relative Inflation Rates

$/
r1
r0
S1
S0
D1
D0
Quantity of
U.S. inflation
U.S. demand for
British goods, and
hence .
British desire for U.S.
goods, and hence the
supply of .


Exchange Rates (3)
Relative Interest Rates

$/
r0
r1
S0
S1
D0
D1
Quantity of
U.S. interest rates

U.S. demand for
British bank deposits,
and hence .
British desire for U.S.
bank deposits, and
hence the supply of .


Exchange Rates (4)
A relatively high interest rate may actually
reflect expectations of relatively high
inflation, which may discourage foreign
investment.
It is thus useful to consider the real interest

rate, which adjusts the nominal interest rate
for inflation.

Exchange Rates (5)
real
nominal
interest
rate
interest inflation rate

rate
This relationship is sometimes called the

Fisher effect.

So what does the Fisher analysis mean at an international

level?
Country A
Country B comment
1%
1%
No reason for there

to be a difference
1%
1%
We choose
investments in each
country that have
low risk
= Real rate
2%
2%
Real rates should

be the same
+ inflation
4%
2%
Different economic
policies are
inevitable
7%
5%
Time
preference
+ Risk
= interest rate
The difference in
inflation rates
explains the
difference in interest
rates!

Exchange Rates (6)
Relative Income Levels

$/
r1
r0
S0 ,S1
D1
D0
U.S. income level

U.S. demand for
British goods, and
hence .
No expected change for
the supply of .
Quantity of

Exchange Rates (7)
Government Controls
Governments may influence the equilibrium
exchange rate by:
imposing foreign exchange barriers,

imposing foreign trade barriers,
intervening in the foreign exchange market, and
affecting macro variables such as inflation,
interest rates, and income levels.


Exchange Rates (8)
Expectations
Foreign exchange markets react to any
news that may have a future effect.
News of a potential surge in U.S. inflation may
cause currency traders to sell dollars.
Many institutional investors take currency

positions based on anticipated interest rate
movements in various countries.

Exchange Rates (9)
Expectations
Economic signals that affect exchange rates can
change quickly, such that speculators may
overreact initially and then find that they have to
make a correction.
Speculation on the currencies of emerging markets

can have a substantial impact on their exchange
rates.


Exchange Rates (10)
Interaction of Factors
The various factors sometimes interact and

simultaneously affect exchange rate
movements.
For example, an increase in income levels
sometimes causes expectations of higher
interest rates, thus placing opposing pressures
on foreign currency values.

How Factors Can Affect Exchange Rates

Trade-Related
Factors
1. Inflation
Differential
2. Income
Differential
3. Govt Trade
Restrictions
Financial
Factors
1. Interest Rate
Differential
2. Capital Flow
Restrictions
U.K. demand for foreign

goods, i.e. demand for
foreign currency
Foreign demand for U.K.
goods, i.e. supply of
foreign currency
U.K. demand for foreign

securities, i.e. demand for
foreign currency
Foreign demand for U.K.
securities, i.e. supply of
foreign currency
Exchange
rate
between
foreign
currency
and the
dollar

Exchange Rates (11)
Interaction of Factors
The sensitivity of an exchange rate to the
factors is dependent on the volume of
international transactions between the two
countries.
Large volume of international trade
relative inflation rates may be more influential
Large volume of capital flows interest rate
fluctuations may be more influential
Speculating on
Anticipated Exchange Rates
Many commercial banks attempt to capitalize on
their forecasts of anticipated exchange rate
movements in the foreign exchange market.
The potential returns from foreign currency
speculation are high for banks that have large
borrowing capacity.
The simple strategy is to get out of the currency
about to depreciate and into the currency that is
going to appreciate against it. Then reverse the
positions after the event to end up with more
than you started with.
Speculating on Anticipated Exchange Rates

London Bank expects the exchange rate of the New
Zealand dollar to appreciate against the from its
present level of 0.35 to 0.38 in 30 days.
Borrows at 7.20%
for 30 days
1. Borrows
20 m
Exchange at
0.35/NZ$
2. Holds
NZ$57,142,857
4. Holds
21,831,543
Repays 20,120,000
A profit of 21,831,543 Exchange at
20,120,000 = 1,711,543 0.38/NZ$
Lends at 6.48%
for 30 days
3. Receives
NZ$57,451,428
Speculating on Anticipated Exchange Rates

London Bank expects the exchange rate of the New
Zealand dollar to depreciate from its present level of
0.50 euros to 0.48 euros in 30 days.
1. Borrows
NZ$40 million
Exchange at
0.50 euros/NZ$
2. Holds
20 m euros
Borrows at 6.96%
for 30 days
Returns NZ$40,232,000
Profit of NZ$1,668,000
or 800,640 euros
Lends at 6.72%
for 30 days
4. Holds
NZ$41,900,000
Exchange at
0.48 euros/NZ$
3. Receives
20,112,000 euros
Speculating on
Anticipated Exchange Rates
Between 2 currencies borrow in the weaker
currency and invest in the stronger currency

providing that the interest rate difference is not
too adverse
Exchange rates are very volatile, and a poor
forecast can result in a large loss.
One well-known bank failure, Franklin National
Bank in 1974, was primarily attributed to massive
speculative losses from foreign currency
positions.

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Chapter 4

Exchange Rate Determination

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

To explain how exchange rate

Measuring Exchange Rate

An exchange rate measures the value of one

Measuring Exchange Rate

A positive % represents appreciation of the foreign

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Factors that Influence

Factors that Influence

Relative Inflation Rates

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Factors that Influence

Relative Interest Rates

U.S. interest rates

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Factors that Influence

It is thus useful to consider the real interest

Factors that Influence

interest inflation rate

This relationship is sometimes called the

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

So what does the Fisher analysis mean at an international

No reason for there

Real rates should

Factors that Influence

Relative Income Levels

U.S. income level

Factors that Influence

imposing foreign exchange barriers,

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Factors that Influence

Many institutional investors take currency

Factors that Influence

Speculation on the currencies of emerging markets

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

Factors that Influence

The various factors sometimes interact and

For use with International Financial Management, 3e

How Factors Can Affect Exchange Rates

U.K. demand for foreign

U.K. demand for foreign

Factors that Influence

Speculating on Anticipated Exchange Rates

Speculating on Anticipated Exchange Rates

currency and invest in the stronger currency

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