Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2014. / Dornbusch’s exchange rate overshooting hypothesis has guided monetary policy conduct for many years though empirical evidence on its validity is mixed. This study re-examines the validity of the overshooting hypothesis by using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) procedure. Specifically, the study investigates whether the overshooting hypothesis holds for the United States Dollar/Zambian Kwacha (USD-ZMK) exchange rate. In addition, the study tests if there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the USD-ZMK exchange rate and the macroeconomic fundamentals (money supply, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), interest rates and inflation rates). The study uses monthly nominal USD/ZMK exchange rates and monetary fundamentals data from January 2000 to December 2012. The study finds no evidence of exchange rate overshooting. The result also show that there is no long run equilibrium relationship between the exchange rate and the differentials of macroeconomic fundamentals. The implication is that macroeconomic fundamentals are insignificant in determining the exchange rate fluctuations in the long run. This finding is inconsistent with the monetary model of exchange rate determination, which asserts that there is a long-run relationship between the exchange rate and macroeconomic fundamentals.

Abstract The purchasing power parity puzzle, exchange rate disconnection to macroeconomic fundamentals and pricing to market are central issues of international macroeconomics. Recent research has suggested that these issues can be presented by nonlinear behaviour. In this dissertation, we examine and explain the nonlinearities in the form of regime switching behaviour in real exchange rate series, exchange rate and macroeconomic fundamentals relation and exchange rate pass-through into consumer and import prices. Overall, we find evidence that nonlinearities are important in analysing empirical exchange rate models. The dissertation consists of four self-contained empirical studies. In chapter 2 we examine whether the Markov switching models and exponential smooth transition autoregressive models can give any additional insights into real exchange rate behaviour for several OECD countries. The results show that there are long swings in the real exchange rate series, which can be characterize as a depreciation and an appreciation regime. These regimes are very persistent, although the processes are eventually mean reverting. We estimate a multivariate smooth transition autoregressive model for the euro/dollar exchange rate in chapter 3. The significant point of our analysis is the possibility that a nonlinear specification for the exchange rate series might reveal aspects of the exchange rate dynamics that cannot be picked up by linear models. We find that the euro/dollar exchange rate may display random walk or near random walk behaviour within a certain range but the ability of the exchange rate to wander without any bound is limited by long-term government bond interest rate differentials. In chapter 4 we examine nonlinear relationships between macroeconomic fundamentals and exchange rate for G-7 countries. We estimate a smooth transition error correction model that allows for parameter variation in the error correction form and interest rate differentials. The nonlinearity is determined by the inflation rate differentials between countries. We find significant error correction terms in monetary models. Our findings suggest the importance of nonlinear dynamics for examining deviations from the long-run equilibrium. We examine whether the degree of exchange rate pass-through is dependent on importing country inflation rate in chapter 5. Our model shows that import prices respond differently to exchange rate changes when we are in a high inflation regime compared to a low inflation regime. We also present empirical evidence by estimating pass-through elasticises for several OECD countries. We find that consumer prices are not very sensitive to exchange rate changes. For aggregate import prices, we find partial or full exchange rate pass-throughs. The tested nonlinear regime specific models proved appropriate for testing exchange rate dynamics for several currency pairs. Furthermore, we were able to present that macroeconomic fundamentals are important predictors of exchange rates.

This thesis aims to contribute in the field of exchange rate determination. Firstly, it sums results of previous studies (theoretical as well as empirical ones). Consequently, it investigates two approaches to exchange rate determination, and compares their theoretical and empirical performance. Firstly, monetary model is introduced, and secondly 'news' model is presented. Since 'news' model incorporates rational expectations and considers interest rate endogenous, it is expected to give better results in comparison with monetary model. Six exchange rates were chosen for the empirical analysis. They are analyzed in period July 2000 -- June 2012. As expected, 'news' model outperforms monetary model. However, since the volatility of exchange rate is much bigger in reality than both of the models are able to explain, neither of the models can be considered as satisfactory. It is the same result which has been presented in older studies that investigated these models.

This thesis pertains to international finance and models of exchange rate determination as well as efficiency of the market for foreign currency. The first chapter is an introduction where we discuss the advent of flexible exchange rate regimes and the development of monetary models of exchange rate determination as well as present a framework for this thesis. In the second chapter we consider the historical failure of monetary models of the exchange rate and revisit the standard real interest differential (RID) model (Frankel, 1979a). The Great British Pound (GBP) and Canadian Dollar (CAD) vis-à-vis the United States dollar (USD) are examined during the period 1980:Q1 -2015:Q1, a time characterized by flexible exchange rate regimes and heightened capital mobility across borders. Unit root properties of the sample variables are examined and the Johansen (1995) methodology is applied to test for cointegration. The RID model yields a single cointegrating relation however tests of long-run exclusion (LE) and weak exogeneity (WE) show that the RID model is not a coherent model of the GBP and CAD against the USD. The study is furthered by examination of the hybrid monetary model (Hunter and Ali, 2014). The hybrid model is tested for comparison with Japan, as the post 2007-2009 financial crisis period is branded by zero-lower bound interest rates, a phenomenon first experienced by Japan for any prolonged period of time. The hybrid model in addition yields a single relation however tests of LE and WE show that the long-run projection is reversed and that a coherent relationship exists between the GBP and CAD vis-à-vis the USD and variables related to monetary fundamentals as well as long-run economic activity. In the third chapter we examine efficiency of the market for foreign currency. The lead-lag pricing relationship between spot and futures rates is discussed and a panel employing data for the GBP, Australia Dollar (AUD), CAD, Brazilian Real (BRL) and South African Rand (ZAR) vis-à-vis the USD is constructed at several intervals prior to expiry. The Johansen (1995) methodology is applied and shows that spot and futures rates cointegrate and that the cointegrating vector is the basis. Unit root properties for the basis are also examined and found to be integrated of order one or I(1). We therefore show that the market for foreign currency functions efficiently and that profitable arbitrage opportunities exist that restore prices to parity levels. This study is of particular significance in view of the markets' growing share and need for greater transparency to lay down appropriate regulation that limits systematic risk. In the fourth chapter we re-examine monetary models of the exchange rate and consider the USD vis-a vis the Japanese Yen (JPY) in view of the Japanese economy's slow growth in the post 2007-2009 financial crisis period. We test the standard RID monetary model as a framework for modelling the USD/JPY exchange rate however tests of WE show that the nominal exchange rate is weakly exogenous so drives the system instead of adapting to it. The hybrid monetary model developed by Hunter and Ali (2014) is adjusted in consideration of the current period of sluggish economic growth in Japan by incorporating differentials related to traded and non-traded goods productivity (Rogoff, 1992). The adjusted hybrid model produces a single cointegrating relation and joint tests of LE and WE show that the nominal exchange rate cannot be long-run excluded and is not weakly exogenous so that the adjusted hybrid model is a coherent long-run model of the USD/JPY nominal exchange rate. In the fifth chapter we conclude and summarize the findings of the three studies presented in this thesis as well as provide practical recommendations for further study such as construction of dynamic error correction models and assessing out-of-sample forecasting performance for the extended monetary models examined in chapters two and four. Further development of the study for effectively functioning foreign exchange markets as presented in chapter three is in addition discussed in the final chapter. We contribute to the extant literature by showing in chapter two that the conventional RID monetary model of the exchange rate for the GBP and CAD vis-à-vis the USD can be rejected. A single econometric specification can be adapted to explain the long-run exchange rate for the GBP/USD exchange rate while an extended model is effective in providing an explanation of the long-run CAD/USD exchange rate. In chapter three we demonstrate that the spot and futures markets for five bilateral exchange rates function effectively across developed and developing countries. Lastly, we show in Chapter four that the model of the USD/JPY exchange rate due to Hunter and Ali (2014) appears a specific case and that the USD/JPY is not readily distinguished from a random walk in the context of a monetary model that considers traded and non-traded goods productivity differentials.

This thesis is based on four essays in exchange rates and international finance. The first essay, examined in the second chapter, considers the long-run performance of the flexible-price monetary model as well as the real interest differential monetary model to explain the dollar–yen exchange rate during a period of high international capital mobility. We apply the Johansen methodology to quarterly data over the period 1980:01–2009:04 and show that the inadequacy of the two monetary models is due to the breakdown of their underlying building-blocks, money demand stability and purchasing power parity. In particular, modifying the monetary models by adjusting them for real stock prices to capture the stability of money demands on one hand and also for real economic variables such as productivity differential, relative government spending, and real oil price to explain the persistence in the real exchange rate on the other provide long-run relationships that appear consistent with the monetary models. Our findings of long-run weak exogeneity tests also emphasise the importance of the extended models employed here. The second essay, examined in the third chapter, is on the nature of the linkages between stock market prices and exchange rates in six advanced economies, namely the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, the euro area, and Switzerland, using data on the banking crisis between 2007 and 2010. Bivariate GARCH-BEKK models are estimated to produce evidence of unidirectional Granger causality from stock returns to exchange rate changes in the US and the UK, in the opposite direction in Canada, and of bidirectional causality in the euro area and Switzerland. Furthermore, causality-in-variance from stock returns to exchange rate changes is found in Japan and in the opposite direction in the euro area and Switzerland, whilst there is evidence of bidirectional causality-in-variance in the US and Canada. These findings imply limited opportunities for investors to diversify their assets during this period. The third essay, examined in the fourth chapter, considers the impact of net bond and net equity portfolio flows on exchange rate changes. Two-state Markov-switching models are estimated for the exchange rate of the US vis-a-vis Canada, the euro area, Japan and the UK. Our results suggest that the relationship between net portfolio flows and exchange rate changes is nonlinear for all cases considered, except that of the US dollar against the Canadian dollar. The fourth essay, examined in the fifth chapter, considers the impact of exchange rate uncertainty on different components of net portfolio flows, namely net equity and net bond flows, as well as the dynamic linkages between exchange rate volatility and the variability of these two types of flows. Specifically, a bivariate GARCH-BEKK-in mean model is estimated using bilateral data for the US vis-à-vis Australia, the UK, Japan, Canada, the euro area, and Sweden over the period 1988:01-2011:12. The results indicate that the effect of exchange rate uncertainty on net equity flows is negative in the euro area, the UK and Sweden, and positive in Australia, whilst two countries (Canada and Japan) showed insignificant responses. With regard to the impact of uncertainty on net bond flows, it is shown to be negative in all countries, except Canada (where it is positive). Under the assumption of risk aversion, this suggests that exchange rate uncertainty induces investors, especially those of the counterpart countries to the US, to reduce their financing activities to maximise returns and minimise exposure to uncertainty. This evidence is strong for the UK, the euro area and Sweden as opposed to Canada, Australia and Japan. Furthermore, since exchange rate volatility and the variability of flows are interlinked, exchange rate or credit controls on these flows can be used to pursue economic and financial stability.

The diploma thesis deals with currency market analysis. There are three main types of analysis: fundamental, technical and psychological analysis. Each of these methods contains explanation of logic, on which the method is based, its advantages, disadvantages and specific examples of this analysis. Neural networks are furher explained in technical analysis. The practical part of the diploma thesis builds on knowledge of technical analysis and tests functionality of the neural networks in the environment of currency markets. The model is calibrated first and then it is used to predict the development of major currency pairs. The prediction is carried out on a monthly chart for December 2013.

本篇論文擴充Ang et al. (2007)之基本架構,分別建構台灣各式月資料與季資料的物價指數預測模型,並進行預測以及實證分析。我們用以衡量通貨膨脹率的指標為 CPI 年增率與核心CPI 年增率。我們比較貨幣模型、成本加成模型、6 種不同設定的菲力浦曲線模型、3 種期限結構模型、隨機漫步模型、 AO 模型、ARIMA 模型、VAR 模型、主計處(DGBAS)、中經院(CIER) 及台經院(TIER) 之預測。藉由此研究,我們可以完整評估出文獻上常用之各式月資料及季資料預測模型的優劣。 我們實證結果顯示,在月資料預測模型樣本外預測績效表現方面, ARIMA 模 型對 2 種通貨膨脹率指標的樣本外預測能力表現最好。至於季資料預測模型樣本外預測績效表現, ARIMA 模型對未來核心 CPI 年增率的樣本外預測能力表現最好; 然而,對於 CPI 年增率為預測目標的預測模型則不存在最佳的模型。此外,實證分析中我們也發現本研究所建構的模型預測表現仍遜於主計處的預測,但部份模型的樣本外預測能力表現則比中經院與台經院的預測為佳。 / This paper compares the forecasting performance of inflation in Taiwan. We conduct various inflation forecasting methods (models) for two inflation measures(CPI growth rate and core-CPI growth rate) by using monthly and quarterly data. Besides the models of Ang et al. (2007), we also consider some macroeconomic models for comparison. We compare some Monetary models, Mark-up models, six variants of Phillips curve models, three variants of term structure models, a Random walk model, an AO model, an ARIMA model, and a VAR model. We also compare the forecast ability of these model with three different survey forecasts (the DGBAS, CIER, and TIER surveys). We summarized our findings as follows. The best monthly forecasting model for both inflation measures is ARIMA model. For quarterly core-CPI inflation, ARIMA model is also the best model; however, when comparing the quarterly forecasts for CPI inflation, there does not exist the best one. Besides, we also found that the DGBAS survey outperforms all of our forecasting methods/models, but some of our forecasting models are better than the CIER and TIER surveys in terms of MAE.

The thesis investigates different exchange rate models and their forecasting performance. The work takes previous literature overview and summarize their findings. Despite the significant amount of papers which were done on the topic of exchange rate forecast, basically none of them cannot find an appropriate model which would outperform a forecast of a simple random walk in every horizon or for any currency pair. However, there are some positive findings in specific cases (e.g. for specific pair or for specific time horizon). The study provides up-to-date analysis of four exchange rates (USD/CZK, USD/ILS, USD/GBP and USD/EUR) for the period of time from January 2000 to August 2013 and analyse forecasting performance of seven exchange rate models (uncovered interest rate parity model, purchasing power parity model, monetary model, monetary model with error correction, Taylor rule model, hidden Markov model and ESTAR model). Although, the results are in advantage of Taylor rule model, especially for the exchange rate of USD/CZK, I cannot prove that the forecasting performance is significantly better than the random walk model. Except of the overall analysis, the work suppose instabilities in the time. Stock and Watson (2003) found that the forecast predictability is not stable over time. As a consequence, the econometric model can give us better forecast than random walk process at some period of time, however at other period, the forecasting ability can be worse than random walk. Based on Fluctuation test of Giacomini and Rossi (2010a) every model is analysed how the out-of-sample forecast ability changes over time.