Is the J-Curve Effect Observable for Small North European Economies?

The present study tests for the J-curve for five North European countries—Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden—using generalized impulse response functions. The results provide empirical support for the J-curve. Each country has an impulse response function generated from a vector error-correction model that suggests that after a depreciation, there will be a dip in the export-import ratio within the first half-year after the depreciation. The long-run export-import ratio appears to be higher than the low point of this early dip in almost all cases. Also, in most cases, the export-import ratio appears in many periods after the depreciation to be converging from below to a higher long-run equilibrium. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003