Can High Reserves Offset Weak Fundamentals? A Simple Model of Precautionary Demand for Reserves

Apart from exchange rate objectives which have resulted in reserve accumulation as a side effect, Asian countries have chosen explicitly to build up reserves for precautionary motives. This paper explores the issue of optimal precautionary demand for reserves by a central bank within a context of a simple analytical model. The model suggests that, in general, high reserve can help offset weak fundamentals. However, if fundamentals are suffi ciently weak no level of reserves will be able to offset the weak fundamentals.