Dual and Multiple Exchange Rate Systems in Developing Countries


Book Description

The parallel exchange rate (whether official or unofficial) and the resulting spread over the official exchange rate are primarily determined by macroeconomic policies. Policymakers should be cautious in adopting dual (or multiple) exchange rate systems, as they provide less insulation for domestic prices than most analysts assume.










Dual Exchange Rates in the Presence of Incomplete Market Separation


Book Description

The existing literature on dual exchange rate regimes assumes that the separation between the two foreign exchange markets is perfect. In this paper, by contrast, a divergence between the two exchange rates induces a flow of arbitrage activity, the magnitude of which depends on both the costs of evading exchange controls and the size of the exchange rate differential. These arbitrage flows lead to a gradual convergence of the two exchange rates. In the long run, therefore, a dual exchange rate regime with a fixed commercial rate imposes the same constraints as a fixed unified exchange rate.













Empirical Evidence on European Dual Exchange Rates and Its Relevance for Latin America


Book Description

This paper uncovers some important empirical regularities for the European dual exchange markets of the early 1970s, examines some of the stylized facts about the Latin American dual-rate regimes and assesses whether there are strong parallels between the two. It concludes that one should be cautious about applying the lessons from the European experience to the Latin American ones.




A Note on Dual Foreign Exchange Markets with Official Rationing


Book Description

This paper examines the relationship between the long run rate of inflation and the allocation of transactions between markets in economies that operate dual exchange market regimes and ration foreign exchange in the official market. It shows that wider access of importers to the official market, and wider access of exporters to the free market, are associated with higher rates of inflation and vice versa. The direction of causality among the various variables, and thus the effects of economic policies, depend on whether the official exchange rate is predetermined or floating.