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Currency devaluation and trade balance: Evidence from the US services trade

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  • Cheng, Ka Ming

Abstract

This study aims to revisit the effectiveness of using currency devaluation as a policy tool to improve trade balance by estimating the exchange rate elasticities of services trade between the US and rest of the world with quarterly disaggregated services trade data from 1999 to 2015. Empirical results reveal that the impacts of currency devaluation on individual services trade are mixed and largely depend on the nature of services. Using currency devaluation to raise export services trade and reduce import services trade seems to be more effective in the long-run but not in the short-run. It is interesting to note that some individual services trades are insensitive to exchange rate changes. The estimates also reveal that most categories of services trade are income elastic and economic growth plays a key role in determining the imports and exports of services trade.

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  • Cheng, Ka Ming, 2020. "Currency devaluation and trade balance: Evidence from the US services trade," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 20-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:42:y:2020:i:1:p:20-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2019.09.005
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    4. Trofimov, Ivan D., 2020. "Real Exchange Rate and the Dynamics of Services Trade Balance in the UK: A Linear and Non-linear ARDL Analysis," MPRA Paper 106703, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    6. Ivan D. Trofimov, 2023. "The J-Curve Effect in Services Trade: A Disaggregated Analysis," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 58(2), pages 199-219, May.
    7. Eliphas Ndou, 2021. "Exchange rate changes, price level and the income effects on trade balance in South Africa," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 1-19, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Services trade; Exchange rate elasticity; Income elasticity; Autoregressive distribution lag model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

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