Forward Discount Bias: Is it an Exchange Risk Premium?

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 1989
Volume: 104
Issue: 1
Pages: 139-161

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

A common finding is that the forward discount is a biased predictor of future exchange rate changes. We use survey data on exchange rate expectations to decompose the bias into portions attributable to the risk premium and expectational errors. None of the bias in our sample reflects the risk premium. We also reject the claim that the risk premium is more variable than expected depreciation. Investors would do better if they reduced fractionally the magnitude of expected depreciation. This is the same result that many authors have found with forward market data, but now it cannot be attributed to risk.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:104:y:1989:i:1:p:139-161.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25