Submitted by MFEE Mestrado Profissional em Finanças e Economia Empresarial da EPGE (mfee@fgv.br) on 2015-02-24T19:52:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Pádua Versão Final.pdf: 2926735 bytes, checksum: 3a118ec117860cba182feae37fa5226f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2015-03-03T19:10:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Pádua Versão Final.pdf: 2926735 bytes, checksum: 3a118ec117860cba182feae37fa5226f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2015-03-03T19:11:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Pádua Versão Final.pdf: 2926735 bytes, checksum: 3a118ec117860cba182feae37fa5226f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-03T19:11:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Pádua Versão Final.pdf: 2926735 bytes, checksum: 3a118ec117860cba182feae37fa5226f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-01-29 / Wahal and Cruz (2009) published an essay adding to the literature on behavior fínance, unifying the concepts of momentum, comovement and style investing as tools for return predictability. They discovered that assets possessing larger comovement offered higher returns as opposed to those having low comovement. We endeavored to reflect their methodology to the Brazilian market in a matmer applicable scenario of low liquidity and reduced amount of asscts that are charactetistics o f our stock market. Our results did not present the same tendency of the original essay, but we verifíed that, albeit in a limited way, it is possible to explore profítable strategies by means ofusing this structure. / Wahal e Yavuz (2009) divulgaram trabalho ampliando a literatura da teoria de finanças comportamentais, unindo os conceitos de momento, estilo e comovimento como ferramentas de previsibilidade de retorno em investimentos. Eles descobriram que ativos com maior comovimento apresentam retornos mais elevados que os de baixo comovimento. Buscamos replicar a sua metodologia ao mercado brasileiro de maneira aplicável a realidade de baixa liquidez e quantidade reduzida de ativos do nosso mercado de ações. Nossos resultados não apresentaram a mesma tendência do trabalho original, porém verificamos, ainda que de forma limitada, a possibilidade de explorar estratégias lucrativas usando este arcabouço.

In the first essay, I examine stock market implications of state-to-state migration flows that are known to provide the basis for social and business networks. I observe sizeable and robust excess return comovement between migration-flow receiving and sending states at both the individual stock and the state portfolio levels. Although I find that migration flows are associated with firms’ business activities, this comovement is not fully explained by economic fundamentals and decreases substantially when firms relocate to other states. In line with the view that migration networks form the basis for a common investor base for receiving and sending states stocks, I find that a) receiving states account for a significant portion of sending states stocks’ trading volume, and b) migration comovement is strongly correlated with the percent of local population born in migration states and more prevalent in states where retail investors display “old home” bias in addition to local bias. Moreover, consistent with the view that migration comovement may be rooted in sentiment shared by a common investor base, I find that it coexists with mispricing, measured by stock return reversals. In the second essay, I test whether takeover targets are more likely to be connected to bidders via domestic migration network by relating acquisitions with the availability of social and business networks formed via interstate migration flows. I find that targets are more likely to be from the migration sending states when migration networks are sturdier. Additionally, I find that targets are more likely to be from migration sending states with stronger migration network a) when acquirer and targets are in different industries, b) when migration network involves non-neighboring states, and c) when targets are small. The results are consistent with the notion that information advantage is at least a partial explanation of firms’ propensity to choose targets from migration sending states, especially when information asymmetry about target is more pronounced. Moreover, I find that takeover premium is smaller and acquirer announcement returns are higher when migration sending states targets are small with low institutional ownership, which substantiate the view that migration networks present enhanced accessibility of soft information to acquirers and that the effect of such information advantage is valuable when there is substantial degree of information asymmetry regarding targets.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andre Nardy.pdf: 1089149 bytes, checksum: bf93de2a1a852c7d9ef44cfa8f114323 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-12 / The dynamics of abnormal returns , volume and betas is analyzed for Bovespa s stocks included or excluded from the Ibovespa index between 2003 and 2012, in a phenomenon known in the financial literature as the index effect, one of the oldest reported anomalies. Event studies are used with different settings of estimation window to measure abnormal returns and assess its effect on the calculation of return for the market model , since the calculation of the theoretical portfolio of Bovespa is known beforehand and is based on marketability and liquidity. No abnormal return is veryfied for shares on the date of their effective entry on the index, only abnormally high volumes. On the date of the first preview of inclusions positive abnormal returns and volumes are observed, and so on for excluded stocks. However, when we exclude from the sample companies with IPOs up to 3 years of its entry into the Bovespa Index and those assets included during the crisis of the financial markets, it appears tha abnormal returns do occur on the effective date, consistent with previous literature on the theme. The betas of the stocks included tend to covariate with greater force after inclusion in the index . With the results achieved market efficiency in the semi-strong form cannot be challenged for the Brazilian stock market, but there is a possible change in the occurrence of the index effect for the period studied, compared with previous studies / Analisa-se a ocorrência para o Ibovespa de dinâmica anormal de retornos, volume e dos betas para as ações incluídas ou excluídas do índice, entre 2003 e 2012, em fenômeno conhecido dentro da literatura de finanças como Efeito índice, uma das anomalias mais antigas relatadas. Utilizam-se estudos de eventos em diferentes configurações de janela de estimação para medir os retornos anormais e avaliar o efeito da mesma na apuração de retorno pelo modelo de mercado, dado o cálculo da carteira teórica do Ibovespa ser conhecido de antemão e baseado em negociabilidade e liquidez. Não se encontram ocorrências de retorno anormal para a data de efetiva entrada das ações, apenas volumes anormalmente altos. Na data de primeira prévia das inclusões ocorrem retornos e volumes anormais positivos, o mesmo ocorrendo para exclusões. Entretanto, ao se excluir da amostra de inclusões as empresas com IPOs realizados até 3 anos de seu ingresso no Ibovespa e aqueles ativos incluídos durante a crise dos mercados financeiros, verifica-se retornos anormais na data de efetivação da nova carteira teórica, coerente com a literatura precedente. Os betas das ações incluídas tendem a covariar com maior força após a inclusão no índice. Com os resultados não é possível questionar a eficiência na forma semiforte para o mercado acionário brasileiro, porém verifica-se uma possível mudança na ocorrência do efeito índice para o período estudado, em comparação com estudos anteriores

This thesis studies the impact of shale gas on commodity and stock markets in the U.S. by employing wavelet approach and conducting a time-frequency analysis of dynamic correlations between natural gas and important representatives of commodity markets: crude oil, coal, corn, wheat, and several indices. It covers the period from 2006 to 2015 and is performed on daily data. Our thesis enlarges existing literature on comovement between natural gas with other energy commodities and stocks using wavelet coherence - a methodology which allows analyzing comovement among assets not only from a time series perspective but also over different frequencies. Financialization of natural gas and its involvement in investment portfolios under changing conditions on the U.S. gas market provide space for examination of gas proper correlation estimates in respect to other financial assets. Our results reveal natural gas comovement behaviour with examined commodities during the Financial Crisis. They show gradual decoupling between gas and crude oil prices in time. To the best of our knowledge we are the first to address natural gas using wavelet coherence in connection to agricultural commodities corn and wheat. These commodities together with natural gas are primary sources for bioethanol production being used in...

Nous étudions des stratégies d'investissement dont l'utilisation s'est généralisée sur les marchés financiers, et leur impact sur le prix des actifs et le risque de marché.Dans le premier chapitre nous nous intéressons aux stratégies de diversification de portefeuille. Nous montronsau travers d'un modèle théorique que si la diversification a un effet positif au niveau individuel pour l'investisseur,elle crée également des liens entre les différents investisseurs et titres, qui peuvent se révéler dangereux d'un pointde vue systémique. Nous mesurons les deux effets afin de discuter de la désirabilité globale de la diversification.Le second chapitre considère les stratégies d'investissement basées sur le groupement de titres financierspartageant certaines caractéristiques en différentes classes, ou styles. Nous postulons que ces stratégies créentun co-mouvement excessif entre titres d'un même style, qui seront vendus et achetés ensemble au sein d'une mêmeclasse. Appliquant cette intuition aux notes des agences sur les obligations, nous montrons qu'une obligation quichange de note se met en effet à varier comme sa nouvelle note, même quand les fondamentaux économiques ne lejustifient pas.Dans le troisième chapitre nous étudions trois types d'investisseurs opérant sur le marché des changes : les carry traders, les chartistes et les fondamentalistes. Notre modèle théorique suggère que l'interaction entre cestrois règles d'investissement peut expliquer la déconnexion bien documentée entre le taux de change et sa valeurfondamentale, ainsi que provoquer un effondrement endogène des taux de change. / We study how popular investment rules in financial markets may induce endogenous movements inasset prices, leading to higher market risk.In the first chapter, we focus on portfolio diversification. We show through a theoretical model that this strategyis beneficial at the individual investor level, but also creates endogenous links between assets and investors, whichcan be dangerous from a systemic perspective. We measure both effects in order to discuss the overall desirabilityof diversification.The second chapter considers strategies based on grouping assets that share common characteristics intodifferent classes, or styles. We postulate that these strategies create excess comovement between assets of asimilar style, as they are traded together as part of the same class. Applying this reasoning to bond credit ratings,we show that bonds joining a new rating class indeed start comoving more with the bonds of this rating, evenwhen fundamental factors suggest otherwise.In the third chapter, we study three investors who operate in the foreign exchange market: carry traders,chartists and fundamentalists. We provide a theoretical model which suggests that the interaction between thesetrading rules may explain the well documented exchange rate disconnect from its fundamental value, and lead toendogenous currency crashes.

Comovement is ubiquitous in financial markets. The evolution of asset characteristics, such as price, volatility or liquidity, exhibits a high degree of correlation across assets---a phenomenon that in this thesis will generically be denoted with the term comovement. The origins of such comovement are legion. In their investment decisions, economic agents are not only influenced by their idiosyncrasies---a large part of investment motivations are shared over a population. Demographics or the political situation can generate constraints that are similar for a large number of people. A country's geography can greatly influence the sectors in which it is most productive, which implies that many people are sometimes subject to the same risk factors. Moreover, it is well known that mimesis is part of human psychology, and that people mimic their peers even when taking personal decisions. For these reasons, and many more, financial markets have a very systematic character, and studying the nature and intensity of such comovement is important from a risk management point of view. <p>This thesis studies comovement in financial markets under three dimensions. First, I consider comovement in equity liquidity. The liquidity of an asset is the ease with which that asset can be bought or sold. Liquidity can be measured in various ways and the first chapter concludes that market movements of two different liquidity measures have the same origin. Second, I study the impact correlation comovement on the price of stocks. The correlations between stock returns and the market return evolve through time and are correlated themselves. The effect of this correlation comovement on asset prices is however ambiguous and there is not enough evidence to depict a clear image. Finally, I develop a model to investigate contagion dynamics in the secondary market for European sovereign bonds over the past two years. More particularly, I study whether changes in the bond price of one specific country have an impact the next day on the average bond price in Europe. The study concludes of that bonds of France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy have been most contagious, whereas the much more volatile Greek bonds have had little impact on the other European countries. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The conduct of effective economic policy faces a multiplicity of macroeconomic challenges, which requires a wide scope of theoretical and empirical analyses. With a focus on the European Union, this doctoral dissertation consists of two parts which make empirical and methodological contributions to the literature on forecasting real economic activity and on the analysis of business cycles in a boom-bust framework in the light of the EMU enlargement. In the first part, we tackle the problem of publication lags and analyse the role of the information flow in computing short-term forecasts up to one quarter ahead for the euro area GDP and its main components. A huge dataset of monthly indicators is used to estimate simple bridge equations. The individual forecasts are then pooled, using different weighting schemes. To take into consideration the release calendar of each indicator, six forecasts are compiled successively during the quarter. We find that the sequencing of information determines the weight allocated to each block of indicators, especially when the first month of hard data becomes available. This conclusion extends the findings of the recent literature. Moreover, when combining forecasts, two weighting schemes are found to outperform the equal weighting scheme in almost all cases. In the second part, we focus on the potential accession of the new EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe to the euro area. In contrast to the discussion of Optimum Currency Areas, we follow a non-standard approach for the discussion on abandonment of national currencies the boom-bust theory. We analyse whether evidence for boom-bust cycles is given and draw conclusions whether these countries should join the EMU in the near future. Using a broad range of data sets and empirical methods we document credit market imperfections, comprising asymmetric financing opportunities across sectors, excess foreign currency liabilities and contract enforceability problems both at macro and micro level. Furthermore, we depart from the standard analysis of comovements of business cycles among countries and rather consider long-run and short-run comovements across sectors. While the results differ across countries, we find evidence for credit market imperfections in Central and Eastern Europe and different sectoral reactions to shocks. This gives favour for the assessment of the potential euro accession using this supplementary, non-standard approach.

Les fluctuations économiques représentent les mouvements de la croissance économique. Celle-ci peut connaître des phases d'accélération (expansion) ou de ralentissement (récession), voire même de dépression si la baisse de production est persistente. Les fluctuations économiques sont liées aux écarts entre croissance effective et croissance potentielle. Elles peuvent s'expliquer par des chocs d'offre et demande, ainsi que par le cycle du crédit. Dans le premier cas, les conditions de la production se trouvent modifiées. C'est le cas lorsque le prix des facteurs de production (salaires, prix des matières premières) ou que des facteurs externes influençant le prix des produits (taux de change) évolue. Ainsi, une hausse du prix des facteurs de production provoque un choc négatif et ralentit la croissance. Ce ralentissement peut être également dû à un choc de demande négatif provoqué par une hausse du prix des produits causée par une appréciation de la devise, engendrant une diminution des exportations. Le deuxième cas concerne les variables financières et les actifs financiers. Ainsi, en période d'expansion, les agents économiques s'endettent et ont des comportements spéculatifs en réaction à des chocs d'offre ou demande anticipés. La valeur des titres et actifs financiers augmente, provoquant une bulle qui finit par éclater et provoquer un effondrement de la valeur des biens. Dès lors, l'activité économique ne peut plus être financée. C'est ce qui génère une récession, parfois profonde, comme lors de la récente crise financière. Cette thèse inclut trois essais sur les fluctuations macroéconomiques et les cycles économiques, plus précisément sur les thèmes décrit ci-dessus. Le premier chapitre s'intéresse aux anticipations sur la politique monétaire et sur la réaction des agents écononomiques face à ces anticipations. Une emphase particulière est mise sur la consommation de biens durables et l'endettement relié à ce type de consommation. Le deuxième chapitre aborde la question de l'influence des variations du taux de change sur la demande de travail dans le secteur manufacturier canadien. Finalement, le troisième chapitre s'intéresse aux retombées économiques, parfois négatives, du marché immobilier sur la consommation des ménages et aux répercussions sur le prix des actifs immobiliers et sur l'endettement des ménages d'anticipations infondées sur la demande dans le marché immobilier. Le premier chapitre, intitulé ``Monetary Policy News Shocks and Durable Consumption'', fournit une étude sur le lien entre les dépenses en biens durables et les chocs monétaires anticipés. Nous proposons et mettons en oeuvre une nouvelle approche pour identifier les chocs anticipés (nouvelles) de politique monétaire, en les identifiant de manière récursive à partir des résidus d’une règle de Taylor estimée à l’aide de données de sondage multi-horizon. Nous utilisons ensuite les chocs anticipés inférer dans un modèle autorégressif vectoriel structurel (ARVS). L’anticipation d’une politique de resserrement monétaire mène à une augmentation de la production, de la consommation de biens non-durables et durables, ainsi qu’à une augmentation du prix réel des biens durables. Bien que les chocs anticipés expliquent une part significative des variations de la production et de la consommation, leur impact est moindre que celui des chocs non-anticipés sur les fluctuations économiques. Finalement, nous menons une analyse théorique avec un modèle d’équilibre général dynamique stochastique (EGDS) avec biens durables et rigidités nominales. Les résultats indiquent que le modèle avec les prix des biens durables rigides peut reproduire la corrélation positive entre les fonctions de réponse de la consommation de biens non-durables et durables à un choc anticipé de politique monétaire trouvées à l’aide du ARVS. Le second chapitre s'intitule ``Exchange Rate Fluctuations and Labour Market Adjustments in Canadian Manufacturing Industries''. Dans ce chapitre, nous évaluons la sensibilité de l'emploi et des heures travaillées dans les industries manufacturières canadiennes aux variations du taux de change. L’analyse est basée sur un modèle dynamique de demande de travail et utilise l’approche en deux étapes pour l'estimation des relations de cointégration en données de panel. Nos données sont prises d’un panel de 20 industries manufacturières, provenant de la base de données KLEMS de Statistique Canada, et couvrent une longue période qui inclut deux cycles complets d’appréciation-dépréciation de la valeur du dollar canadien. Les effets nets de l'appréciation du dollar canadien se sont avérés statistiquement et économiquement significatifs et négatifs pour l'emploi et les heures travaillées, et ses effets sont plus prononcés dans les industries davantage exposées au commerce international. Finalement, le dernier chapitre s'intitule ``Housing Market Dynamics and Macroprudential Policy'', dans lequel nous étudions la relation statistique suggérant un lien collatéral entre le marché immobilier and le reste de l'économique et si ce lien est davantage entraîné par des facteurs de demandes ou d'offres. Nous suivons également la littérature sur les chocs anticipés et examinons un cyle d'expansion-récession peut survenir de façon endogène la suite d'anticipations non-réalisées d'une hausse de la demande de logements. À cette fin, nous construisons un modèle néo-Keynésien au sein duquel le pouvoir d’emprunt du partie des consommateurs est limité par la valeur de leur patrimoine immobilier. Nous estimons le modèle en utilisant une méthode Bayésienne avec des données canadiennes. Nous évaluons la capacité du modèle à capter les caractéristiques principales de la consommation et du prix des maisons. Finalement, nous effectuons une analyse pour déterminer dans quelle mesure l'introduction d'un ratio prêt-à-la-valeur contracyclique peut réduire l'endettement des ménages et les fluctuations du prix des maisons comparativement à une règle de politique monétaire répondant à l'inflation du prix des maisons. Nous trouvons une relation statistique suggérant un important lien collatéral entre le marché immobilier et le reste de l'économie, et ce lien s'explique principalement par des facteurs de demande. Nous constatons également que l'introduction de chocs anticipés peut générer un cycle d'expansion-récession du marché immobilier, la récession faisant suite aux attentes non-réalisées par rapport à la demande de logements. Enfin, notre étude suggère également qu'un ratio contracyclique de prêt-à-la-valeur est une politique utile pour réduire les retombées du marché du logement sur la consommation par l'intermédiaire de la valeur garantie. / Economic fluctuations represent the movements of economic growth. It may experience acceleration phases (expansion) or deceleration (recession), and even depression if the decline in production is persistent. Economic fluctuations are related to differences between actual growth and potential growth. They can be explained by supply and demand shocks, as well as by the credit cycle. In the first case, the conditions of production are modified. This is the case when the price of production factors (wages, raw materials prices) or external factors influencing the price of products (exchange rate) evolve. Thus, an increase in the price of production factors causes a negative shock and slows growth. This slowdown may also be due to a negative demand shock caused by an increase in product prices caused by a currency appreciation, causing a decrease in exports. The second case concerns the financial variables and financial assets. Thus, in a period of expansion, economic agents borrow more and have speculative behaviors in response to anticipated supply and demand shocks. The value of securities and financial assets increases, causing a bubble that eventually burst, causing a collapse in the value of assets. Therefore, economic activity cannot be funded. This is what generates a recession, sometimes profound, as in the recent financial crisis. This thesis includes three essays on macroeconomic fluctuations and economic cycles, specifically on the topics described above. The first chapter deals with expectations about monetary policy and on the reaction of econonomic agents on these expectations. A particular emphasis is placed on the consumption of durable goods and indebtedness related to this type of consumption. The second chapter discusses the influence of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates on labour demand in the Canadian manufacturing sector. Finally, the third chapter focuses on spillover, sometimes negative, of the real estate market on household consumption and the impact on property prices and household debt of demand expectations in the property market. The first chapter, entitled ``Monetary Policy News Shocks and Durable Consumption'', provides insight on the link between durable goods spending and monetary policy news shocks. We propose and implement a new approach to identifying news shocks about future monetary policy. News shocks are identified recursively from the residuals of a monetary policy rule estimated using U.S. multi-horizon survey data. We then use those inferred news shocks in a structural VAR (SVAR). An expected monetary policy tightening leads to an increase in output, non-durable and durable goods consumption, and real price of durable goods. Although news shocks account for a significant fraction of output and consumption fluctuations, they contribute less than surprise shocks to economic fluctuations. We then carry out theoretical analysis using a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with durable goods and nominal rigidities. Results indicate that a model with sticky durable goods price can reproduce the positive correlation between the response functions of durable and non-durable goods consumption to policy news shocks that was found from the SVAR. The second chapter is entitled ``Exchange Rate Fluctuations and Labour Market Adjustments in Canadian Manufacturing Industries''. In this chapter, we estimate the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on hours worked and jobs in Canadian manufacturing industries. The analysis is based on a dynamic model of labour demand and the econometric strategy employs a panel two-step approach for cointegrating regressions. Our data is drawn from a panel of 20 manufacturing industries, from Statistics Canada's KLEMS database, and covers a long sample period that includes two full exchange rate appreciation and depreciation cycles. We find that exchange rate fluctuations have economically and statistically significant effects on the labour decisions of Canadian manufacturing employers, and that these effects are stronger for trade-oriented industries. Finally, the last chapter, entitled ``Housing Market Dynamics and Macroprudential Policy'', studies the statistical evidence suggesting a collateral link between the housing market and the rest of the economy and if the link is more demand- or supply-driven. We also followed the \textit{news shocks} literature and look if a housing-market boom-bust can arise endogenously following unrealized expectations of a rise in housing demand. To this end, we construct a New Keynesian model in which a fraction of households borrow against the value of their houses. We estimate the model with Canadian data using Bayesian methods. We assessed the model's ability to capture key features of consumption and house price data. Finally, we performed an analysis to determine how well the introduction of a countercyclical loan-to-value (LTV) ratio can reduced household indebtedness and housing price fluctuations compare to a monetary policy rule augmented with house price inflation. We find statistical evidence suggesting an important collateral link between the housing market and the rest of the economy, and this link is mainly driven by demand factors. We also find that the introduction of news shocks can generate a housing market boom-bust cycle, the bust following unrealized expectations on housing demand. Finally, our study also suggests that a countercyclical loan-to-value ratio is a useful policy to reduce the spillover from housing market to consumption via the collateral value.

This dissertation is a collection of essays on challenges in international trade and international finance, which apply econometric methods to diverse data sets and relate them to economic policy questions. In times of crises, the question, whether individual countries have the ability to pursue idiosyncratic monetary policy, is important. The degree of integration and comovement between financial markets, for instance, is critical to better assess the real threat facing a country in a crisis. Also, from a macroeconomic modeling perspective, there has recently been a renewed interest in the cyclical and long-run comovement of interest rates. Hence, in a first essay, we reinvestigate the long- and short-run comovements in the G7-countries by conducting tests for cointegration, common serial correlation and codependence with nominal and real interest rates. Overall, we only find little evidence of comovements: common trends are occasionally observed, but the majority of interest rates are not cointegrated. Although some evidence for codependence of higher order can be found in the pre-Euro area sample, common cycles appear to exist only in rare cases. We argue that some earlier, more positive findings in the literature are difficult to reconcile due to differing assumptions about the underlying stochastic properties of interest rates. Hence, we conclude that they cannot be generalized for all interest rates, time periods, and reasonable alternative estimation procedures. This finding indicates that scope for individual countries to pursue stabilization policy does still exist in a globalized world. Emerging economies, in general, are much more exposed and vulnerable to crises than industrialized countries. Accordingly, stabilization policy is especially important in these countries and the selection of the best monetary regime is essential. This is why, in a second essay, we contrast two different views in the debate on official dollarization: the Mundell (1961) framework of optimum currency areas and a model on boom-bust cycles by Schneider and Tornell (2004), who take account of credit market imperfections prevalent in middle income countries. We highlight the strikingly different role of the exchange rate in the two models. While in the Mundell framework the exchange rate is expected to smooth the business cycle, the second model predicts the exchange rate to play an amplifying role. We empirically evaluate both models for eight highly dollarized Central American economies. We document the existence of credit market imperfections and find that shocks from the exchange rate indeed amplify business cycles in these countries. Using a new method proposed by Cubadda (1999 and 2007), we furthermore test for cyclical comovement and reject the hypothesis that the selected countries form an optimum currency area with the United States according to the Mundell definition. In the context of the recent global crisis, globalization and vertical integration in particular were often blamed for being the cause for the severe trade crisis. For that reason, in the essay that contributes to the trade literature, we analyze the role of international supply chains in explaining the long-run trade elasticity and its short-term volatility in the context of the recent trade collapse. We adopt an empirical strategy based on two steps: first, stylized facts on long- and short-term trade elasticity are derived from exploratory analysis and formal modeling on a large and diversified sample of countries. Then, we derive observations of interrelated input-output matrices for a demonstrative sub-set of countries. We find evidence for two supply chain related factors to explain the overshooting of trade elasticity during the 2008-2009 trade collapse: the composition and the bullwhip effect. However, evidence for a magnification effect could not be found. Overall, we do not accept the hypothesis that international supply chains explain all by themselves the changes in trade-income elasticity.