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On the empirical relevance of the exchange rate as a shock absorber at the zero lower bound

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  • Finck, David
  • Hoffmann, Mathias
  • Hürtgen, Patrick

Abstract

We estimate the effects of a negative asymmetric demand shock on the real exchange rate for the euro area vis-à-vis the United States, Canada, and Japan by state-dependent sign-restricted local projection methods. We find a real depreciation when interest rates are not at the ZLB, but also when they are. The exchange rate can accomodate considerable variations in output, confirming its shock-absorbing capacity before and during the ZLB episode. The stabilizing role of the exchange rate is accompanied by a significant expansion of the ECB's balance sheet at the ZLB, while it remained unaffected in the pre-ZLB period. Our empirical results can be reconciled with an open economy New Keynesian model extended with unconventional monetary policy measures when interest rates are at the ZLB.

Suggested Citation

  • Finck, David & Hoffmann, Mathias & Hürtgen, Patrick, 2023. "On the empirical relevance of the exchange rate as a shock absorber at the zero lower bound," Discussion Papers 10/2023, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:bubdps:102023
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Zero Lower Bound; Exchange Rate; Local Projections; State-dependent Effects; Unconventional Monetary Policy; Demand Shocks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • C54 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Quantitative Policy Modeling

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