QUESTION

Medium

Economy

Prelims 2022

Consider the following statements:

  1. Tight monetary policy of US Federal Reserve could lead to capital flight.
  2. Capital flight may increase cost of firms with existing External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs)
  3. Devaluation of domestic currency decreases the currency risk associated with ECBs

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

Tight monetary policy is an action taken by a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve, to curb overheated economic growth. Central banks employ tight monetary policy when an economy is experiencing rapid acceleration or when inflation, which pertains to overall prices, is escalating too swiftly.

Statement 1 is correct. A tight monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve means higher interest rates in the US. This attracts global investors to shift their capital towards US assets for better returns. As a result, there can be capital flight from emerging markets like India to the US.

Statement 2 is correct. When capital flows out, the domestic currency tends to depreciate, and global interest rates rise. Firms that have borrowed in foreign currencies through External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) will now face higher repayment costs in rupee terms. Thus, their cost of servicing these loans increases, raising their overall financial burden.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Devaluation of the domestic currency actually increases the currency risk associated with ECBs. Since these loans are denominated in foreign currency (like USD), a weaker rupee means firms have to pay more in rupees to repay the same amount of foreign debt. Therefore, devaluation heightens, not reduces, currency risk.

NOTE: The given question was dropped by UPSC from the Official Answer Key.

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