A European investor lives near one of his country’s borders. In Country A (where he lives), banks are offering an 8% interest rate and the inflation rate is 3%. Country B, on the other hand, has an inflation rate of 23%, and banks are offering 26% interest on deposits. a. What real or effective interest rate does the investor earn when investing in his own country? b. The investor believes that the currency of Country B will not change in its value relative to the value of the currency of Country A during this year. In which country would he get a larger effective interest rate? c. Suppose that he invests in a bank in Country B and that his prediction turns out to be wrong: the currency of Country B was devaluated 20% with respect to the exchange value of Country A’s currency. What effective interest rate would he obtain in this case?

Exploring Economics
8th Edition
ISBN:9781544336329
Author:Robert L. Sexton
Publisher:Robert L. Sexton
Chapter18: Introduction To Macroeconomics: Unemployment, Inflation, And Economic Fluctuations
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 15P
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A European investor lives near one of his country’s borders. In Country A (where he lives), banks are offering an 8% interest rate and the inflation rate is 3%. Country B, on the other hand, has an inflation rate of 23%, and banks are offering 26% interest on deposits. a. What real or effective interest rate does the investor earn when investing in his own country? b. The investor believes that the currency of Country B will not change in its value relative to the value of the currency of Country A during this year. In which country would he get a larger effective interest rate? c. Suppose that he invests in a bank in Country B and that his prediction turns out to be wrong: the currency of Country B was devaluated 20% with respect to the exchange value of Country A’s currency. What effective interest rate would he obtain in this case?

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