Question

Suppose that the United States and China trade exclusively with each other. What will happen to the value of the U.S. dollar, ceteris paribus, if the price level in China rises faster than the price level in the United States

Answer 1

Answer:

If the price level in China is rising faster than the price level in the US, this means that the Chinese inflation rate is higher.

two different things will happen here:

1) higher inflation means that Chinese products will be more expensive which will increase the demand for American products. An increase in the demand for American products will appreciate the US dollar, but...

2) Inflation all by itself generally would not alter the exchange rate, but high inflation generally leads to high interest rates. Central banks usually increase interest rates to decrease inflation.

Higher interest rates will usually increase the demand of a currency which result in an appreciation of the local currency against foreign currencies. In this case, the Chinese yuan should appreciate against the US dollar.

Generally the appreciation of a currency due to high interest rates will offset the depreciation due to a negative trade balance.