The Implications Of Managed Floating Exchange Rates For U S Trade Policy

Contrary to the arguments of several scholars, we have failed to find either a conclusive theoretical case or clear empirical evidence of an effect, harmful or otherwise, of exchange rate variability (as measured by either short-term volatility or long-run misalignment) on overall levels of international trade. In this paper, after reviewing the theories and evidence on this issue, we go on to consider the impact of exchange rate variability on direct foreign investment. We summarize and amplify upon the scant theoretical literature of this issue, and proceed to test U.S. data for the presence of such an impact. We find none.

These essays review recent advances in exchange rate analysis and new empirical analysis of the behavior of exchange rates and their effects on international trade and the U.S. economy. The first section deals with the determination of exchange rates and their alleged volatility and disequilibrium levels. The second section concerns the effects of flexible exchange rates on international trade, and the third treats the macroeconomic linkages between economies and international influences on the U.S. economy. ISBN 0-88410-948-8 : $39.95.