Business & Finance
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To do this, you would need to open a bank account in both the UK and France. You would then need to transfer money from your UK account to your French account. Once the money has been transferred, you could use it to buy pounds in the UK. You would then sell the pounds in France for francs. The difference between the exchange rate in the UK and the exchange rate in France would be your profit. However, you would need to factor in the cost of shipping the gold between the two countries. If the cost of shipping is greater than the difference in exchange rates, then arbitrage would not be profitable. Another way to take advantage of this situation would be to invest in French assets. If you believe that the franc is undervalued relative to the pound, then you could invest in French assets, such as French stocks or bonds. As the franc appreciates relative to the pound, the value of your investment will increase. Question 2 Advantages of the flexible exchange rate regime:- Automatic adjustment to changes in economic conditions: Flexible exchange rates can adjust automatically to changes in economic conditions, such as changes in inflation or interest rates. This can help to promote economic stability and growth.
- Increased efficiency of international trade and investment: Flexible exchange rates can help to make international trade and investment more efficient. This is because businesses and investors can use flexible exchange rates to hedge against currency risk.
- Improved international competitiveness: Flexible exchange rates can help to improve a country's international competitiveness. This is because a devaluation of the currency can make a country's exports more affordable for foreign buyers.
- Exchange rate volatility: Flexible exchange rates can be volatile, which can make it difficult for businesses to plan for the future.
- Speculation: Flexible exchange rates can be susceptible to speculation, which can lead to sharp fluctuations in the value of the currency.
- Loss of monetary autonomy: Under a flexible exchange rate regime, the central bank has less control over the value of the currency. This is because the value of the currency is determined by market forces.
- Exchange rate volatility: While flexible exchange rates can be volatile, they can also be managed through monetary policy. For example, the central bank can buy or sell foreign currency to influence the value of the domestic currency.
- Speculation: Speculation can be a problem under a flexible exchange rate regime, but it can also be beneficial. For example, speculators can help to provide liquidity in the foreign exchange market.
- Loss of monetary autonomy: While the central bank has less control over the value of the currency under a flexible exchange rate regime, it still has control over other important economic variables, such as interest rates and inflation.
Sample Solution
Question 1
Suppose that the pound is pegged to gold at 6 pounds per ounce, whereas the franc is pegged to gold at 12 francs per ounce. This, of course, implies that the equilibrium exchange rate should be 2 francs per pound. If the current market exchange rate is 2.2 francs per pound, this means that the pound is overvalued relative to the franc.
One way to take advantage of this situation would be to engage in arbitrage. Arbitrage is the practice of buying an asset in one market and selling it in another market for a higher price. In this case, you could buy pounds in the UK and sell them in France for a profit.