MGCR 382 Midterm Flashcards
What is International trade and why does it occur? (4 reasons)
International trade is trade between the residents (individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or other forms of associations) of two countries. Trade involves the voluntary exchange of goods, services, or money.
- International trade occurs because the parties to the transaction believe that they benefit from the voluntary exchange.
- Imports provide higher quality, less expensive, or more quality
- Export spark economic activity
- Improves competitiveness
What is the difference about abs. Adv. and comp. adv?
absolute advantage looks at absolute differences in productivity, while the comp. looks at relative productivity differences. The difference between the theories exists because comparative advantage incorporates the concept of opportunity costs in determining which good should be produced.
Why are leontif’s findings called a paradox?
Leontief’s findings are called a paradox because his research results on the U.S. trade position were not consistent with the intuitively correct Heckscher-Ohlin model, and were in fact, exactly the reverse of what the model predicted
What are country-level theories useful/not useful in explaining?
The country-level theories are useful for explaining interindustry trade (trade in which countries exchange goods produced in different industries) among nations; however, they are not helpful in explaining intraindustry trade (trade in which countries exchange goods produced in the same industry). The latter form of trade accounts for approximately 40 percent of world trade, yet cannot be predicted by country-level theories.
What’s the difference between inter and intra industry trade?
The difference between interindustry trade and intraindustry trade is that the former involves two countries exchanging goods produced in different industries (for example, the exchange of British raincoats for American beer), while the latter involves two countries exchanging goods produced in the same industry (for example, Ford exports American-made cars to Japan, while Mazda exports Japanese- made cars to the United States).
What is protectionism and what is the rationale behind it?
Protectionism is a form of government restrictions and incentives that are specifically designed to help a country’s domestic firms compete with foreign competitors at home and abroad. The rationale for such policies can be economic or noneconomic in nature.
What is the unemployment argument for government intervention for trade?
Governments often want to have high employment as displaced workers often do not find jobs that provide comparable compensation. Often unemployment benefits must be spent on living expenses instead of job skill training for a new job. However, to limit imports to increase employment, the cost must still be borne by the government.
What are the 4 economic rationales behind gov’t intervention in trade
Fighting unemployment,
protecting infant industries,
developing an industrial base,
economic relstionships w/ other countries
What are the four noneconomic rationales why governments interfere in trade
Maintaining essential industries
Promoting acceptable practices abroad
Maintaining/extending spheres of influence
Preserving national culture
What is the unemployment argument for government intervention for trade?
Governments want high employment as fired workers usually don’t find jobs that provide similar compensation. EI has to be spent on living expenses instead of training for a new job. However, to limit imports to increase employment, the cost is still paid by the gov’t.
What is the infant-industry argument? What are the rationale for this argument and what are the pitfalls?
I-I argument says gov’t should protect an emerging industry from foreign competition using subsidies, tarrifs, or quotas. Assumes that the industry requires gov’t intervention to grow. Pitfall: Could still not thrive on its own even with government protection
What is the industrialization argument?
Countries that are trying to develop an industrial base will be affected by imports of lower-priced foreign goods. Need to be protected by tarrifs/quotas.
Pitfalls of industrialization argument
Import restrictions may spur foreign direct investment as firms may invest in manufacturing in a country to avoid these regulations. However, if the industry is not able to grow and compete on the global level, local consumers will face the cost of paying higher prices for those products.
What is the argument for government intervening in trade to manage its economic relationship with other nations?
Governments want to improve their relative position compared to other countries.
Trade control can be used to improve the balance of payments, gain fair access to foreign markets, bargain trade agreements, and control prices. Policy is dependent on the other country and its’ trade practices.
What is the non-econ rationale maintaining essential industries?
Government deems certain industry important and protects it thru trade restrictions.
What is practicing acceptable practices abroad? (nonecon rat.)
Gov’t wants to promote what they deem acceptable practices by pressuring foreign governments to alter their stances on the issue at hand.
What is preserving national culture (nonecon rat.)?
Govts may want to intervene to preserve nat culture by limiting exports of items, deemed to be a part of their nat culture or limit imports that may conflict w their domestic values
What is the difference between a tariff and a quota?
Tarrif and quota both affect QUANTITY of products that are imported.
Tarrifs affect indirectly by putting a tax on the product while quotas put hard limit on quantity that can be imported.
T or F: A tarrif is more flexible than a quota
True. The quantity that is imported, based on supply and demand, can be affected in the shifts in world price. Quota on the other hand puts a fixed limit on the quantity that can be imported.
What is a subsidy & how do they affect trade?
Subsidy is a direct assistance by governments to boost competitiveness. Essentially, gov’t is decreasing the cost of production for the firm in order to allow it to compete on the global playing field.
What is globalization?
The development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor
Producing where it is most cost-effective, selling where it is most profitable, and sourcing capital where it is cheapest, without worrying about national boundaries
Why have eurocurrencies and LIBOR remained the centrepiece of the global financial marketplace for so long?
- Eurocurrency market essentially a large money market relatively free from government regulation
- Narrow interest rate spread in the market (low volatility)
- Reference rate of interest for the eurocurrency market is the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
How do you calculate EPS
EPS = earnings/num of shares
What is a truly floating currency value?
A truly floating currency value means that the government does not set the currency’s value or intervene in the marketplace, allowing the supply and demand of the market for its currency to determine the exchange value.
Diff between crawling peg and truly pegged system
In a crawling peg system, the government will make occasional small adjustments in its fixed rate of exchange in response to changes in a variety of quantitative indicators such as inflation rates or economic growth.
In a truly pegged exchange rate regime, no such changes or adjustments are made to the official fixed rate of exchange.
What is a currency board arrangement?
In a currency board arrangement, the country issues its own currency but that currency is backed 100% by foreign exchange holdings of a hard foreign currency—usually the U.S. dollar.
What is dollarization?
In dollarization, the country abolishes its own currency and uses a foreign currency, such as the U.S. dollar, for all domestic transactions.
What is the special drawing right?
The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an international reserve asset created by the IMF to supplement existing foreign exchange reserves. It serves as a unit of account for the IMF and other international and regional organizations and is also the base against which some countries peg the exchange rate for their currencies.
If the ideal currency existed in today’s world, what three attributes wouldnit have?
(a) Exchange rate stability. The value of the currency would be fixed in relationship to other major currencies so traders and investors could be relatively certain of the foreign exchange value of each currency in the present and into the near future.
(b) Full financial integration. Complete freedom of monetary flows would be allowed, so traders and investors could willingly and easily move funds from one country and currency to another in response to perceived economic opportunities or risks.
(c) Monetary independence. Domestic monetary and interest rate policies would be set by each individual country to pursue desired national economic policies, especially as they might relate to limiting inflation, combating recessions, and fostering prosperity and full employment.
What are the four early country based theories of international trade
Mercantilism, absolute advantage, comparative advantage, relative factor endowments
What are the two modern from-based theories
Country similarity theory, new trade theory
Early country based theories are useful for describing trade in
Commodities
Modern firm based theories are useful and describing
Patterns of trade in differentiated goods
In early country based theories,______is an important component of the customers purchase decision
Price
When did firm based theories emerge
After WW2
Interindustry Trade
Trade in different industries
Intraindustry trade
Trade within the industry
What is mercantilism?
- 16th century economic philosophy that says country’s wealth measured by holdings of gold & silver
- say country’s goal should be to enlarge these holdings by promoting exports and discouraging imports
- modern supporters of these policies called neomercantilists or protectionists
What is absolute advantage? And who made it?
- Adam Smith attacked mercantilism (weakens a country, in the process of avoiding imports at all costs, it squanders a country’s resources producing goods it’s not suited to produce)
- Smith said free trade enlarges country’s wealth, and enables a country to expand the amount of goods and services available to it by specializing in the production of some goods and services and trading for others
What is comparative advantage and who made it?
Dave ricardo, relative productivity difference through lowest opportunity cost
What is the relative factor endowment theory and who created it?
Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) theory: A country will have a comparative advantage in producing products that intensively use resources (factors of production) it has in abundance
Pattern of Comparative Advantage: export products that use plentiful factors of production and import products that need scarce factors of production
What is the Leontif paradox?
Leontief Paradox: Leontif believed that the US was a capital abundant and labour scarce economy therefore according to the HO theory he reasoned that the US should export capital intensive goods and import labour intensive goods
Why did firm based theories evolve? And why do they differ from country based?
Firm based theories evolved because
- growing importance of MNCs postwar
- inability of country based theories to explain intra industry trade
Unlike country based theories firm based theories incorporate factors such as quality, technology, brand names, and customer loyalty into explanations of trade flows
What is country similarity theory and who made it?
In 1961 Swedish Linder explained intraindustry trade:
- International trade in manufactured goods is from similarities of preferences among consumers in countries that are at the same stage of economic development
- His country similarity theory suggests that most trade in manufactured goods should be between countries with similar pc income and that intraindustry trade in manufactured goods should be common
- Linders theory is useful in explaining trade in differentiated goods such as cars, electronics, for which brand names and product reputations play an important role
What is New Trade Theory and who developed it?
New trade theory was developed in the 1970s by helpman, krugman, lancaster
- according to this theory, economies of scale occur if a firms AC of producing a good decrease as output of that good increases
- predicts that intra-industry trade will be commonplace
- also suggests MNCs within the same industry will compete with each other on a global basis as they attempt to expand their sales to capture scale economies
- once they have some competitive advantage they can leverage their strengths
What is foreign portfolio investment? Why do people invest in them?
- passive holdings of securities
- foreign portfolio investments will be motivated by attempt to seek a good rate of return while reducing risk that can come from geographically diversifying one’s investment portfolio
What is foreign direct investment?
- acquisition of foreign assets to control them
- FDI may take many forms, including purchase of existing assets in a foreign country, new investment in PPE, and participation in a joint venture with a local partner
What are the two main political factors for FDI decisions
- Avoidance of trade barriers
- Economic development incentives
What are some examples of direct price influencers
Tariffs also known as “duties”
Subsidies
Others(aids/loans to help companies w contracts, customs valuation)
What are the two types of trade control instruments
Directly limit the amount allowed to be traded
Indirectly affect the amount traded by directly influencing the prices of imports or exports
What is a tariff
A government levied tax on goods shipped internationally
- on goods entering leaving or passing through a country
3 types of tarrifs
Export, transit, import
What are the 3 types of quotas?
- Specific duty: When a country assesses a tariff on a per unit basis
- Ad valorem tariff: A tariff that is assessed as a percentage of the item’s value
- A compound duty is due when both a specific and an ad valorem tariff are assessed
What is the main direct quantity limiter? And what is the second?
Quota, embargo
Do trade restrictions affect services as well as manufactured and agricultural products?
Yes
What is an embargo?
Full stop on production
4 options for companies facing import competiton
Move abroad
Seek other niches
Be more efficient
Try to get protection
What is dumping?
Selling in another country at a lower price
Who pays for an import tariff?
The country bringing in the goods
What is pass through
How much is the company getting tariffed willing to pass along the tariff to the end customer
What is 100% pass through?
All tariff getting passed go to end customer
Direct quote + example
• Direct quote: Home currency price per unit of foreign currency – Eg: 5.04 Danish Krone/ $1 CAN is a direct quote in Denmark
What is an indirect quote.
• Indirect quote: Foreign currency price of the home currency – 0.68 EUR/ 1 $CAN is an indirect quote in Canada
What is a bid rate?
• The “Bid Rate”: The price at which an FX dealer is willing to buy currency
What is the ask rate?
• The “Ask Rate”: The price at which an FX dealer is willing to sell currency
What is the spread?
• The Spread: The difference between the bid and ask rates as quoted by an FX dealer
What is a mid rate?
Midway between the avg bid and offer rates among currency traders
How to calculate change in the exchange rate? (Solving for denom currency)
Ending-beginning
/beginning
What is an an arbitrage opportunity?
• An arbitrage opportunity is an opportunity to make a riskless profit by exploiting price differences
3 krys of arbitrage
Lock in rate
Put in as much as you can
Be fast
What is the spot exchange rate?
• Spot exchange rate: The price of foreign exchange to be delivered immediately (where “immediate” usually means within 2 business days)
What is the forward exchange rate?
• Forward exchange rate: Negotiated today for delivery at a pre-specified FUTURE date
What is the forward premium?
Measures the annualized % difference between spot and forward rates
How do u calculate forward premuim/discount? For the DENOMINATOR
(Forward-spot)/spot * 360/# days to settlement
Exchange rate formula to solve for numerator
Beginning-ending
/ending
What is a cross rate?
• Cross Rate: The exchange rate between two currencies calculated using a third currency
What is a eurocurrency
• Eurocurrencies are domestic currencies of one country on deposit in a second country
Ex: yen deposited in canada
• Any convertible (exchangeable) currency can exist in “Euro-” form (do not confuse this term with the European Euro)
2 purposes of eurocurrency markets
- money market device for excess corporate liquidity
- source of short-term bank loans