Title: International reserves management and capital mobility in a volatile world
Description: "This paper characterizes the precautionary demand for international reserves driven by the attempt to reduce the incidence of costly output decline induced by sudden reversal of short-term capital flows.  It validates the main predictions of the precautionary approach by investigating changes in the patterns of international reserves in Korea in the aftermath of the 1997-8 crisis.  This crisis provides an interesting case study, especially because of the rapid rise in Korea's financial integration in the aftermath of the East-Asian crisis, where foreigners' shareholding has increased to 40% of total Korean market capitalization.  We show that the crisis led to structural change in the hoarding of international reserves, and that the Korean monetary authority gives much greater attention to a broader notion of 'hot money,' inclusive of short-term debt and foreigners' shareholding"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Subjects: Capital movements, Financial crises, History, International liquidity, Foreign exchange reserves
Places: Korea (South)
Time periods: 20th century