IIF Authors

Status: Will be live at 10/21/2021 07:41

Global Macro Views: In Defense of Currency Devaluations

  • Large currency devaluations have a decidedly bad name, …
  • because they tend to be associated with chaos and disruption, …
  • even as the “dominant currency paradigm” clouds the lift to exports.
  • With EM currencies under continued pressure since COVID began in 2020, …
  • we update our earlier work on large devaluations and their impact on exports.
  • We survey all real and sustained devaluations in excess of 20 percent since 1980.
  • On average, export volumes receive a substantial boost across these episodes, …
  • while import volumes fall sharply early on, helping rebalance the current account.
  • As EM struggles to boost growth, currency devaluations are part of the solution.