Recent exchange rate movements have been unusually
large, triggering a debate regarding their likely effects on
trade. Historical experience in advanced and emerging
market and developing economies suggests that exchange
rate movements typically have sizable effects on export
and import volumes. A 10 percent real effective depreciation
in an economy’s currency is associated with a rise in
real net exports of, on average, 1.5 percent of GDP, with
substantial cross-country variation around this average.
Although these effects fully materialize over a number
of years, much of the adjustment occurs in the first year.
The boost to exports associated with currency depreciation
is found to be largest in countries with initial economic
slack and with domestic financial systems that are operating
normally. Some evidence suggests that the rise of
global value chains has weakened the relationship between
exchange rates and trade in intermediate products used as
inputs into other economies’ exports. However, the bulk
of global trade still consists of conventional trade, and
there is little evidence of a general trend toward disconnect
between exchange rates and total exports and imports.