On the Role of Pricing Exports in a Third Currency

The share of Swedish exports that are invoiced in U.S. dollars has doubled comparing a sample from 1968 with figures from 1993. There has been no corresponding increase in Swedish trade with the United States. This serves as motivation for our interest in price setting/invoicing in a third currency. We investigate the role of pricing in the importers', exporter's or a third currency in a simple model with pre-set prices. The firm of study is a risk neutral monopolist exporter who faces a linear demand curbe. Expected prices, quantities and profits depend on the price setting currency chosen. Also the curvature of realised profits as a function of exchange rate surprises depends on the price setting currency chosen. In an extension we discuss the role of competition from a third country in a model of Bertrand competition in differentiated goods.