Does the Real Interest Parity Hypothesis Hold? Evidence for Developed and Emerging Markets

Evidence is presented on the Real Interest Parity Hypothesis for a set of emerging and developed countries. This is done by carrying out a set of unit-root tests on the real interest differentials with respect to Germany and the US. Our results support the hypothesis of a rapid reversion towards a zero differeential for developed countries and towards a positive one for emerging markets. An important result is that this adjustment tends to be highly asymmetric and markedly different for developed and emerging countries. Our evidence reveals a high degree of market integratioin for developed countries and highlights the importance of risk premia for emerging markets.