An extensive literature that studied the performance of empirical exchange rate models following Meese and Rogoff’s (1983a) seminal paper has not convincingly found evidence of out-of-sample exchange rate predictability. This paper extends the conventional set of models of exchange rate determination by investigating predictability of models that incorporate Taylor rule fundamentals. We find evidence of shortterm predictability for 11 out of 12 currencies vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar over the post-Bretton Woods float, with the strongest evidence coming from specifications that incorporate heterogeneous coefficients and interest rate smoothing. The evidence of predictability is much stronger with Taylor rule models than with conventional interest rate, purchasing power parity, or monetary models.

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This paper uses information contained in the cross-country yield curves to test the asset-pricing approach to exchange rate determination, which models the nominal exchange rate as the discounted present value of its expected future fundamentals. Since the term structure of interest rates embodies information about future economic activity such as GDP growth and inflation, we extract the Nelson-Siegel (1987) factors of relative level, slope, and curvature from cross-country yield differences to proxy expected movements in future exchange rate fundamentals. Using monthly

This paper uses real-time data to show that inflation and either the output gap or unemployment, the variables which normally enter central banks ’ Taylor rules for interest-rate-setting, can provide evidence of out-of-sample predictability and forecasting ability for the United States Dollar/Euro exchange rate from the inception of the Euro in 1999 to the end of 2007. We also present less formal evidence that, with real-time data, the Taylor rule provides a better description of ECB than of Fed policy during this period. The strongest evidence is found for specifications that neither incorporate interest rate smoothing nor include the real exchange rate in the forecasting regression, and the results are robust to whether or not the coefficients on inflation and the real economic activity measure are constrained to be the same for the U.S. and the Euro Area. The evidence is stronger with inflation forecasts than with inflation rates and with real-time data than with revised data. Bad news about inflation and good news about real economic activity both lead to out-ofsample predictability and forecasting ability through forecasted exchange rate appreciation.

This paper evaluates out-of-sample exchange rate forecasting with Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and Taylor rule fundamentals for 9 OECD countries vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar over the period from 1973:Q1 to 2009:Q1 at short and long horizons. In contrast with previous work, which reports “forecasts ” using revised data, I construct a quarterly real-time dataset that incorporates only the information available to market participants when the forecasts are made. Using bootstrapped outof-sample test statistics, the exchange rate model with Taylor rule fundamentals performs better at the one-quarter horizon and panel estimation is not able to improve its performance. The PPP model, however, forecasts better at the 16-quarter horizon and its performance increases in panel framework. The results are in accord with previous research on long-run PPP and Taylor rule models.

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Abstract. The nominal exchange rate is both a macroeconomic variable equilibrating international mar-kets, and a …nancial asset that embodies expectations and prices risks about cross border currency-holdings. Recognizing this, we adopt a joint macro-…nance strategy to model the exchange rate. We incorporate into a monetary exchange rate model macroeconomic stabilization through Taylor-rule monetary policy on one hand, and on the other, market expectations and perceived risks embodied in the cross-country yield curves. Using monthly data between 1985 and 2005 for Canada, Japan, the UK and the US, we summarize infor-mation in the relative yield curves between country-pairs using the Nelson and Siegel (1987) latent factors, and combine them with monetary policy targets (output gap and ination) into a Vector Autoregression (VAR) for bilateral exchange rate changes. We …nd strong evidence that both the …nancial and macro variables are important for explaining exchange rate dynamics and excess currency returns, especially for the yen and the pound rates relative to the dollar. By decomposing the yield curves into expected future yields and bond market term premia, we show that both expectations and perceived risks are priced into the currencies. These …ndings provide support for the view that the nominal exchange rate is determined by both macroeconomic as well as …nancial forces..

This paper argues that considerable switches in monetary policy are able to explain a major part of the forward discount puzzle. We build a theoretical model suggesting that violations of the uncovered interest rate parity are owed to shifts in monetary policy from a destabilizing (when the Taylor principle is violated) to a stabilizing regime (when a central bank follows a Taylor-type rule). Following the switch is an “adjustment period ” during which forecasters gradually update their expectations, eventually restoring the parity. It is in this adjustment period, when the forward discount puzzle arises. In the second part of the paper we test the model on the Canadian dollar, German mark, and British pound, all against the US dollar. Results indicate that the forward discount puzzle loses significance after allowing for an adjustment period of about 1 – 2 years. Our results are robust to various different specifications, such as the use of different maturities or base currencies. Further, it seems unlikely that our results coincide with contemporaneous events. JEL Classification: E52, F31, G14

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This paper studies nonlinear, threshold, models in which some of the regressors can be endogenous. An estimation strategy based on instrumental variables was originally developed for dynamic panel models and we extend it to time series models. We apply this methodology to a forward-looking Taylor rule where nonlinearity is introduced via inflation thresholds.