To What Extent Do Exchange Rates and their Volatility Affect Trade?

IV. 
Developments in exchange rates and trade between China, the Euro area and 
the United States 
Exchange rate regimes 
Since its inception in 1999, the euro is a floating currency.
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Bénassy-Quéré (2009) 
and others suggest that the US dollar has enjoyed a status of a reserve currency since the 
end of World War II. The Chinese yuan renminbi, hereafter referred to as the yuan, has 
been described as a managed float since a system of dual exchange rates was abolished in 
1994 (OECD, 2009b). During the first half of the 2000s, however, the yuan was 
effectively pegged to the US dollar.
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In July 2005, the yuan was revalued by 2.1% against 
the US dollar and the bands of permissible daily movements increased to +/- 0.3%. The 
Chinese authorities announced that the value of the yuan would be set relative to a 
currency basket composed of the dollar, euro, won, and yen without, however, providing 
clear information regarding the weight of each currency in the basket.
Since 2005, large current account surpluses and rising capital inflows, particularly of 
foreign direct investment, have resulted in appreciation pressure on the yuan. To prevent 
this, the People’s Bank of China has sold yuan leading to large increases in foreign-
exchange reserves, most of which are denominated in US dollars. The policy that began 
in 2005 of gradually appreciating the yuan against the dollar was abandoned in July 2008. 
7.
The euro was introduced to world financial markets as an accounting currency on 1 January 
1999, replacing the former European Currency Unit (ECU) at a ratio of 1:1. Euro coins and 
banknotes entered circulation on 1 January 2002. 
8.
It is the nominal exchange rate here, that Chinese authorities keep under control.

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– TO WHAT EXTENT DO EXCHANGE RATES AND THEIR VOLATILITY AFFECT TRADE 
OECD TRADE POLICY WORKING PAPER NO. 119 © OECD 2011 
Since August 2008, therefore, appreciation of the yuan has been stalled and its value has 
been broadly stable against the US dollar, returning to an effective peg.
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Bilateral exchange rate movements 
The first years after the euro was established in January 1999 were characterised by a 
depreciation of the currency relative to the US dollar (Figure 1). Since then, it has tended 
to appreciate against the US dollar: by 35% since 2002, from EUR 1.127 per dollar in 
February 2002 to EUR 0.732 in June 2009.
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