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The International Journal of Applied Economics and Finance

Year: 2011 | Volume: 5 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 167-176
DOI: 10.3923/ijaef.2011.167.176
Exchange Rate and Trade Balance in West African Monetary Zone: Is There a J-Curve?
Oluwatosin Adeniyi, Olusegun Omisakin and Abimbola Oyinlola

Abstract: An attempt is made in this paper to query the existence or otherwise of a J-Curve in four West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) countries: namely The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. We use data from 1980Q1 to 2007Q4 and a bounds testing approach, with an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) methodology, to cointegration in capturing the impact of devaluation on the trade balance. Our results indicate that cointegration exists among the trade balance, foreign income, the real effective exchange rate and domestic income in all countries. More importantly, our results seem to support the J-Curve hypothesis only in the case of Nigeria with Sierra Leone exhibiting no J-Curve pattern. The differential impact, of this policy of real devaluation, across countries implies that such policies should engender incentives that are compatible with the growth and developmental objectives of member states.

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How to cite this article
Oluwatosin Adeniyi, Olusegun Omisakin and Abimbola Oyinlola, 2011. Exchange Rate and Trade Balance in West African Monetary Zone: Is There a J-Curve?. The International Journal of Applied Economics and Finance, 5: 167-176.

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