Are There Asymmetries in the Relationship Between Exchange Rate Fluctuations and Stock Market Volatility in Pacific Basin Countries?

This paper examines asymmetries in the dynamic relationship between foreign exchange fluctuations and stock market volatility in Pacific basin countries. The methodology is based on a dynamic covariance modelling that accounts for leverage effects and the asymmetric impact of currency fluctuations. There is evidence that appreciations are more conducive to lower volatility in currency markets than depreciations of equal magnitude. Market volatility tends to be ceteris paribus, more sensitive to bad news about equity than good news and more responsive to currency depreciations than appreciations. The results also suggest that bad news about equity accompanied with currency depreciations are likely to generate higher volatility in currency markets and have the potential of affecting the significance of leverage effects in stock markets.