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This paper analyzes the effects of intervention on the level and volatility of the exchange rate in Mexico and Turkey, two emerging countries that have floating exchange rate regimes. The paper finds mixed evidence on the effectiveness of intervention. In Mexico, foreign exchange sales have a small impact on the exchange rate level and raise short-term volatility, while in Turkey, intervention does not appear to affect the exchange rate level but reduces its shortterm volatility. In both cases, the findings are consistent with officially stated policy objectives, which aim to minimize the effect of intervention on the exchange rate, but cast doubt on claims that intervention is a useful tool for smoothing volatility. Although these findings cannot be generalized to other emerging markets, intervention's apparently limited effectiveness highlights the need for central banks to use their scarce foreign reserves selectively and parsimoniously.

This paper examines foreign exchange intervention practices and their effectiveness using a new qualitative and quantitative database for a panel of 15 economies covering 2004 - 10, with special focus on Latin America. Qualitatively, it examines institutional aspects such as declared motives, instruments employed, the use of rules versus discretion, and the degree of transparency. Quantitatively, it assesses the effectiveness of sterilized interventions in influencing the exchange rate using a two-stage IV-panel data approach to overcome endogeneity bias. Results suggest that interventions slow the pace of appreciation, but the effects decrease rapidly with the degree of capital account openness. At the same time, interventions are more effective in the context of already ?overvalued' exchange rates.

In this paper we analyse the relationship between increased exchange rate flexibility and economic growth and its volatility in emerging market economies. We also investigate the implications of exchange rate flexibility for financial market development. We do not find a robust correlation between exchange rate flexibility and long-run growth, although exchange rate flexibility has generally been beneficial in smoothing EMEs' output volatility in the previous decade. There are also indications that increased exchange rate flexibility is associated with a reduction in vulnerabilities such as currency mismatches, though its impact on financial market development is less clear.Full publication: "http://ssrn.com/abstract=2420030" Market Volatility and Foreign Exchange Intervention in EMEs: What Has Changed?

Using monthly data for four selected emerging economies, we find that sterilised central bank foreign exchange intervention has little systematic influence on near-term nominal exchange rate expectations in the direction intended by the central banks. In other words, central bank dollar purchases to stem exchange rate appreciation or related exchange rate volatility are not associated with an adjustment of near-term exchange rate forecasts in the direction of depreciation, and vice versa. This suggests that intervention may not change near-term exchange rate expectations. Moreover, intervention may have unintended effects in the sense that it can lead to undesired volatility in the exchange rate, which is consistent with previous studies.Full publication: "http://ssrn.com/abstract=2420030" Market Volatility and Foreign Exchange Intervention in EMEs: What Has Changed?

This note reviews central banks' views on the objectives, methods and effectiveness of foreign exchange intervention, according to their responses to a survey questionnaire. Due to the recent global financial crisis, objectives have shifted to focus more on curbing capital flows and exchange rate volatility. Central banks prefer less transparent intervention practices, which they time by monitoring the most liquid segments of the market. Interventions are often perceived as being successful in achieving the desired objective. Combining intervention with macroprudential and capital control measures may have contributed to recent successes. Besides analysing these and more findings of this year's meeting, this paper compares them to the results of the last survey from 2004.Full publication: "http://ssrn.com/abstract=2420030" Market Volatility and Foreign Exchange Intervention in EMEs: What Has Changed?

In the wake of the Lehman crisis, intervention in the foreign exchange market has been a topic of increasing relevance in central banking, particularly for small and medium open economies like Argentina. This has implied a change in focus to deal with some problems arising from the combination of the international financial crisis and the monetary policies implemented by developed countries. Therefore, the policies implemented by EMEs to cope with the crisis have included direct central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market, either in the spot or in the forward market, the build-up of international reserves, the adoption of administered floating exchange rate regimes and the regulation of capital inflows and outflows. Argentina followed those policy guidelines well before the crisis erupted, allowing it to reduce nominal exchange rate volatility and maintaining monetary stability.Full publication: "http://ssrn.com/abstract=2420030" Market Volatility and Foreign Exchange Intervention in EMEs: What Has Changed?