Exchange rate policies surely exacerbated Asia=s problems. Governments in each of the
crisis countries kept their exchange rates fixed (or changed them at very predictable rates) in the
early 1990s, and gave every indication that these policies would remain intact in the future. These
policies helped encourage short-term capital inflows, since investors perceived little likelihood of
a loss from exchange rate movements. They also kept the prices of tradable goods and services
relatively fixed, while the prices of non-tradable goods and services (especially construction and
property) rose as a result of the investment boom.