What are the 3 exchange rate policies?

Exchange rate policy

The exchange rate of an economy affects aggregate demand through its effect on export and import prices, and policy makers may exploit this connection.

Deliberately altering exchange rates to influence the macro-economic environment may be regarded as a type of monetary policy. Changes in exchanges rates initially work there way into an economy via their effect on prices.

For example, if £1 exchanges for $1.50 on the foreign exchange market, a UK product selling for £10 in the UK will sell for $15 in New York. If the exchange rate now appreciates, so that £1 buys $1.60, the UK product in New York will now sell for $16. Assuming that demand in New York is price inelastic, this is good news for UK exporters because revenue in USDs will rise. However, if demand is elastic in New York, the effect of the appreciation of sterling would be damaging to UK exporters.

If the UK also imports goods from the USA, the rise in the exchange rate would mean that a $10 US product is now cheaper in London, falling from £6.67p to £6.25p. Importers do relatively well from the appreciation of the pound, in that the cost of imported raw materials or finished goods falls.

Therefore, whenever the exchange rate changes there will be a double effect, on both import and export prices. Changes in import and export prices will lead to changes in import and export volumes, causing changes in import spending and export revenue.

Exchange rates can be manipulated so that they deviate from their natural equilibrium rate. To stimulate exports, rates would be held down, and to reduce inflationary pressure rates would be kept up. While the Bank of England does not specifically target the exchange rate, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will take exchange rates into account. Clearly, the MPC would prefer a relatively high rate, as this reduces the price of imports and works against inflationary pressure. However, the MPC must keep an eye on export competitiveness, and, if rates rise excessively, UK exports will become uncompetitive.

How exchange rates are manipulated

Exchange rates can be manipulated by buying or selling currencies on the foreign exchange market. To raise the value of the pound the Bank of England buys pounds, and to lower the value, it sells pounds. Rates can also be manipulated through interest rates, which affect the demand and supply of Sterling via their effect on inflows of hot money. Altering exchange rates is commonly regarded as a type of monetary policy.

Effects of a reduction in the exchange rate

Assuming the economy has an output gap, a reduction in the exchange rate will reduce export prices, and, assuming demand is elastic, export revenue will increase.

What are the 3 exchange rate policies?

A fall in the exchange rate will also raise import prices, and assuming elasticity of demand, import spending will fall. The combined effect is an increase in AD and an improvement in the UK balance of payments.

Cost push inflation

A fall in the exchange rate is inflationary for a second reason – the cost of imported raw materials adds to production costs and creates cost-push inflation.

What are the 3 exchange rate policies?

Evaluation of exchange rate policy

The main advantage of manipulating exchange rates is that, because a large share of UK output is traded internationally, changes in exchange rates will have a powerful effect on AD. For example, lowering exchange rates, called devaluation, can:

  1. Raise aggregate demand
  2. Increase national output (GDP)
  3. Create jobs, amplified through the multiplier effect
  4. In addition, assuming the demand for imports and exports are price sensitive (price elastic), devaluation will lead to an improvement in the balance of payments – although this can also lead to inflation

Alternatively, raising exchange rates (revaluation) can:

  1. Help reduce excessive aggregate demand
  2. Keep inflation down
  3. Although the export sector may suffer and jobs might be lost

On balance, UK policy makers in recent years have preferred to allow the financial markets to determine exchange rates, rather than manipulate them for policy objectives. The last time exchange rates were directly targeted was between 1985 and 1992, when the UK shadowed movements in the Deutschmark, and then, from 1990 to 1992, when the UK became a member of the exchange rate fixing Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM).

See recent Sterling rate against the US Dollar and Euro

What Is an Exchange Rate?

An exchange rate is a rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency and affects trade and the movement of money between countries.

Exchange rates are impacted by both the domestic currency value and the foreign currency value. In July 2022, the exchange rate from U.S. Dollars to the Euro was 1.02, meaning it takes $1.02 to buy €1.

Key Takeaways

  • An exchange rate is a rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency.
  • Most exchange rates are defined as floating and will rise or fall based on the supply and demand in the market.
  • Some exchange rates are pegged or fixed to the value of a specific country's currency.
  • Exchange rate changes affect businesses by changing the cost of supplies that are purchased from a different country, and by changing the demand for their products from overseas customers.

Exchange Rate: My Favorite Term

Understanding Exchange Rates

The exchange rate between two currencies is commonly determined by the economic activity, market interest rates, gross domestic product, and unemployment rate in each of the countries. Commonly called market exchange rates, they are set in the global financial marketplace, where banks and other financial institutions trade currencies around the clock based on these factors. Changes in rates can occur hourly or daily with small changes or in large incremental shifts.

An exchange rate is commonly quoted using an acronym for the national currency it represents. For example, the acronym USD represents the U.S. dollar, while EUR represents the euro. To quote the currency pair for the dollar and the euro, it would be EUR/USD. In the case of the Japanese yen, it's USD/JPY, or dollar to yen. An exchange rate of 100 means that 1 dollar equals 100 yen.

How Exchange Rates Fluctuate

Exchange rates can be free-floating or fixed. A free-floating exchange rate rises and falls due to changes in the foreign exchange market. A fixed exchange rate is pegged to the value of another currency. The Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar in a range of 7.75 to 7.85. This means the value of the Hong Kong dollar to the U.S. dollar will remain within this range.

Exchange rates have what is called a spot rate, or cash value, which is the current market value. Alternatively, an exchange rate may have a forward value, which is based on expectations for the currency to rise or fall versus its spot price. 

Forward rate values may fluctuate due to changes in expectations for future interest rates in one country versus another. If traders speculate that the eurozone will ease monetary policy versus the U.S., they may buy the dollar versus the euro, resulting in a downward trend in the value of the euro. 

Exchange Rate Example

A traveler to Germany from the U.S. wants 200 USD worth of EUR when arriving in Germany. The sell rate is the rate at which a traveler sells foreign currency in exchange for local currency. The buy rate is the rate at which one buys foreign currency back from travelers to exchange it for local currency.

If the current exchange rate is 1.05, $200 will net €190.48 in return.

In this case, the equation is: dollars ÷ exchange rate = euro

$200 ÷ 1.05 = €190.48


After the trip, suppose €66 is remaining. If the exchange rate has dropped to 1.02, the change from euros to dollars will be $67.32.

€66 x 1.02 = $67.32


The Japanese yen is calculated differently. In this case, the dollar is placed in front of the yen, as in USD/JPY.

The equation for USD/JPY is: dollars x exchange rate = yen

If a traveler to Japan wants to convert $100 into yen and the exchange rate is 110, the traveler would get ¥11,000. To convert the yen back into dollars one needs to divide the amount of the currency by the exchange rate.

$100 x 110 = ¥11,000.00

-or-

¥11,000.00/110= $100

How Do Exchange Rates Affect the Supply and Demand of Goods?

Changes in exchange rates affect businesses by changing the cost of supplies that are purchased from a different country, and by changing the demand for their products from overseas customers.

What Is the FOREX?

The forex market, or foreign exchange market, allows banks, funds, and individuals to buy, sell or exchange currencies. The market operates 24 hours, 5.5 days a week, and is responsible for trillions of dollars in daily trading activity as traders look to profit by betting that a currency's value will either appreciate or depreciate against another currency.

What Is a Restricted Currency?

Exchange rates can differ within the same country. Some countries have restricted currencies, limiting their exchange to within the countries' borders and often there is an onshore rate and an offshore rate. A more favorable exchange rate can often be found within a country's borders versus outside its borders and a restricted currency has its value set by the government. China is an example of a country that has this rate structure and a currency that is controlled by the government. Every day, the Chinese government sets a midpoint value for the currency, allowing the yuan to trade in a band of 2% from the midpoint.

The Bottom Line

An exchange rate is a rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. While most exchange rates are floating and will rise or fall based on the supply and demand in the market, some exchange rates are pegged or fixed to the value of a specific country's currency. Exchange rate changes affect businesses and the cost of supplies and demand for their products in the international marketplace.

What are the exchange rate policies?

The exchange rate policy refers to the manner in which a country manages its currency in respect to foreign currencies and the foreign exchange market. The exchange rate is the rate at which the domestic currency can be converted into a foreign currency.

What are the 3 forms of rates of exchange?

The systems are: 1. Purely Floating Exchange Rates System 2. Fixed Exchange Rates System 3. Managed Exchange Rates System.

What are the 3 components of exchange rate risk?

The three types of foreign exchange risk include transaction risk, economic risk, and translation risk.

How many types of exchange rate policies are there?

Exchange rates of a currency can be either fixed or floating. Fixed exchange rate is determined by the central bank of the country while the floating rate is determined by the dynamics of market demand and supply.