Instructions

-Select one FOREIGN country/region (from the US perspective) and its currency (note some countries have dollarized so do not have their own currencies) to work on this HW. 

(If you have chosen to work on two countries and currencies, then ideally please pick one key currency and one less popular currency. Less developed countries and regions have unique business and investment opportunities. It will be interesting and rewarding to gain knowledge of their currencies, economies, financial markets, and business environment). 

– Short summary, bulletin points, table, and chart together with brief description preferred. 

– Please indicate information sources for each question of the project.

1. Economic Overview and Globalization, Currency Regime (30 points) 

1) Please provide a brief introduction of the country/region, its economic development, and globalization in particular. Bulletin points and short paragraphs preferred less than one page. (10 points) 

2) What is the current regime of this country/region, referring to the 4 categories and 10 classifications of IMF? Please indicate the source of information. (5 points). What is the immediate past currency system? (5 points) 

3) Please describe the definition and requirement of this regime, specifically what determines the rate and its change, and the responsibility of the country authorities. (10 points)

2. Balance of Payment. Table and chart together with brief description preferred. (30 points)

1.) Find the most recent year BOP statistics: (20 points) 

     a) Current account: Goods import, export and balance, Service import, export, and balance, Total current account balance. Is it a surplus, deficit or balanced? 

     b) Capital account balance and financial account balance. Is it a surplus, deficit or balanced? 

     c) Is the combination of the above two accounts in balance, surplus or deficit? 

     d) Official Reserves. 

2.) The most recent 10-year BOP situation on (10 points) Current account and, Combined current, capital account, and financial account.

3. Currency Rate and Change. (40 points)

1) Basic currency information – official name, abbreviation, symbol, and countries /regions using the currency. (6 points) 

2) Exchange rate to US dollar at two-time points – the beginning of last year and this year. Please provide and indicate both the direct quote and indirect rate. (8 points)

3) The direction and magnitude of change in the exchange rate (which currency appreciated/revaluated or depreciated/devaluated from beginning to the end of last year, and by what percentage?) Please show the formula and calculation. (20 points)

4) The exchange rate change in the past 10 years. (6 points)

4. Relative PPP and Forward/Future Rate (40 points)

1) Find the inflation rates of the US and the foreign country/region last year. (10 points) 

2) Use the information above and the information from question 3.3 to test relative purchase power parity – compare the direction and magnitude of the rate change with the inflation rate difference. (20 points)

3) Find the most recent one-month or three-month forward rate or future rate. Please indicate the source of information. (10 points)