Perspectivas de longo prazo da economia brasileira: uma analise exploratoria

As perspectivas de longo prazo da economia brasileira são examinadas tomando como referência principal a chamada Teoria do Crescimento Endógeno. Estudaremos a situação daquelas variáveis onde já há consenso de sua importância para o processo de desenvolvimento. O artigo mostra que o desempenho de nosso sistema educacional é muito ruim, mesmo para padrões latino americanos. Existem inúmeras restrições de mercado e outras barreiras ao comércio internacional e à adoção tecnológica e o grau de abertura do país é muito pequeno. Os serviços de infra-estrutura são insuficientes e caros, enquanto o sistema tributário é muito concentrado e distorcido. Enquanto persistir este quadro é pouco provável que o país cresça de forma sustentável e duradoura a taxas próximas daquelas de duas décadas passadas. Entretanto, a privatização no setor de infra-estrutura pode levar a um boom temporário devido ao aumento dos investimentos necessários para satisfazer a enorme demanda reprimida. Uma condição necessária, mas não suficiente, é a estabilidade de preços.

Effects of the real plan of the Brazilian banking system

The aim of this paper is to assess the progress of the banking sector before and shortly after the Real Plan. We began by assessing the drop in the inflation revenues (negative real interest rates paid by the excess of demand deposits over total reserve requirements) as a result of the change in inflation from 40% a month for the pre-Real Plan period to a monthly average of 3.65% (IGP-DI), between July 1994 and May 1995. Then, using the financial statement data of a group of 90 banks, we attempt to estimate the net losses due to the inflation drop analyzing the profitability and other parameters of the banking industry. The calculations are made separately for private, state and federal banks. A later analysis on performance using information given to CVM (Securities Exchange Commission) by the six major private banks in the country is also discussed herein.

Debt composition and exchange rate balance sheet effects in Brazil: A firm level analysis

In this paper we study the interaction between macroeconomic environment and firms’ balance sheet effects in Brazil during the 1990’s. We start by assessing the influence of macroeconomic conditions on firms’ debt composition in Brazil. We found that larger firms tend to change debt currency composition more in response to a change in the exchange rate risk than small firms. We then proceed to investigate if and how exchange rate balance sheet effects affected the firms’ investment decisions. We test directly the exchange rate balance sheet effect on investment. Contrary to earlier findings (Bleakley and Cowan, 2002), we found that firms more indebted in foreign currency tend to invest less when there is an exchange rate devaluation. We tried different controls for the competitiveness effect. First, we control directly for the effect of the exchange rate on exports and imported inputs. We then pursue an alternative investigation strategy, inspired by the credit channel literature. According to this perspective, Tobin’s q can provide an adequate control for the competitiveness effect on investment. Our results provide supporting evidence for imperfect capital markets, and for a negative exchange rate balance sheet effect in Brazil. The results concerning the exchange rate balance sheet effect on investment are statistically significant and robust across the different specifications. We tested the results across different periods, classified according to the macroeconomic environment. Our findings suggest that the negative exchange rate balance sheet effect we found in the whole sample is due to the floating exchange rate period. We also found that exchange rate devaluations have important negative impact on both cash flows and sales of indebted firms. Furthermore, the impact of exchange rate variations is asymmetric, and the significant effect detected when no asymmetry is imposed is engendered by exchange rate devaluations.

Alguns aspectos macro e microeconomicos da economia brasileira pos-Real

Analisam-se neste trabalho alguns aspectos macro e microeconômicos da economia brasileira Pós-Real. Do ponto de vista macroeconômico, aborda-se a troca de imposto inflacionário por poupança externa no fInanciamento do défIcit operacional do setor público, a evolução da denominação da dívida pública federal, bem como a pertinência de diferentes regimes cambiais em um ambiente de instabilidade de funções macroeconômicas. Inclui-se também nesta seção uma breve e simplifIcada simulação da evolução da renda per-capta em caso de elevação do nível de investimentos de 20% para 25% do PIB. Do ponto de vista microeconômico, apresentam-se algumas reflexões pertinentes às áreas de privatização, regulação e defesa da concorrência.

Some benefits of cyclical monetary policy

In this paper, we present a simple random-matching model of seasons, where di§erent seasons translate into di§erent propensities to consume and produce. We Önd that the cyclical creation and destruction of money is beneÖcial for welfare under a wide variety of circumstances. Our model of seasons can be interpreted as providing support for the creation of the Federal Reserve System, with its mandate of supplying an elastic currency for the nation.

The contagion effect of public debt on monetary policy: the brazilian experience

This paper attempts to explain why the Brazilian inter-bank interest rate is so high compared with rates practiced by other emerging economies. The interplay between the markets for bank reserves and government securities feeds into the inter-bank rate the risk premium of the Brazilian public debt.