Consider an open economy that is subject to a capital inflow due to a declinein interest rates abroad. The monetary authority absorbs the inflows as foreignexchange reserves. With the aid of a diagram compare the impact of it on the currentaccount if the monetary authority sterilizes and does not sterilize the inflows.
Question
Consider an open economy that is subject to a capital inflow due to a declinein interest rates abroad. The monetary authority absorbs the inflows as foreignexchange reserves. With the aid of a diagram compare the impact of it on the currentaccount if the monetary authority sterilizes and does not sterilize the inflows.
Solution
In an open economy, capital inflows can occur due to a decline in interest rates abroad. This means that foreign investors find it more attractive to invest in the domestic economy due to higher returns. The monetary authority can choose to absorb these inflows as foreign exchange reserves.
Now, let's consider two scenarios: one where the monetary authority sterilizes the inflows and one where it does not.
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Sterilization: When the monetary authority sterilizes the inflows, it sells domestic bonds in the open market to absorb the excess liquidity caused by the capital inflows. This prevents the domestic money supply from increasing. As a result, the domestic interest rate does not decrease, and the exchange rate remains stable. This means that the current account balance, which is the difference between the country's exports and imports, remains unchanged.
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Non-Sterilization: If the monetary authority does not sterilize the inflows, the domestic money supply increases. This leads to a decrease in the domestic interest rate and an appreciation of the domestic currency. As the domestic currency appreciates, exports become more expensive and imports become cheaper. This leads to a decrease in exports and an increase in imports, resulting in a deterioration of the current account balance.
In conclusion, sterilization of capital inflows can help maintain the current account balance by preventing changes in the exchange rate and interest rate. On the other hand, non-sterilization can lead to a deterioration of the current account balance due to changes in the exchange rate and interest rate.
To illustrate this, you can draw a diagram with the exchange rate on the y-axis and the quantity of money on the x-axis. Show two scenarios: one with a stable exchange rate (sterilization) and one with an appreciating domestic currency (non-sterilization). The current account balance can be represented as a horizontal line, with sterilization keeping it at the same level and non-sterilization leading to a decrease.
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