Monday, September 23, 2019 / 06:45AM / Proshare Research &
TheAnalyst / Header Image Credit: EcoGraphics
Global
markets have increasingly learned a fundamental truth; simple is best.
Complicated pricing arrangements and sophisticated risk-protection strategies
that involve complex algebraic equations look good on paper but are a nightmare
to implement. Segun Atere, Head Market Strategy at Apel Assets & Trust notes
that, "Investment assets are being pressured to sustain above inflation
returns at a time equity asset values are taking a knock and fixed income
assets are heading for lower yields as interest rates go up. The FX market is a
black box; the deeper you look at it the less you see, but feeling your way to
a Naira depreciation appears to be a safe bet".
Not a few
market operators believe it is time we take on the big issue impacting the
economy. The question remains how and when?
Nigeria
would strongly benefit from having a unified and liquid foreign exchange rate
it would appear. This is precisely why the Chinese
Yuan has been fixed against the US dollar for
nearly twenty years; it has created a stable economic environment for Chinese
manufacturing.
In this article, our focus is on the current impact of multiple forex rates and the likely impact of a forex unification on markets and the economy.
Understanding
the Economics of Unification
Nigerians
have become increasingly wary of the government's foreign exchange management
policy as a looming global trade meltdown may lead to problems with foreign
exchange inflows and bring about hard economic landing if the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) does not make up its mind of taking the tough choice of unifying
the country's exchange rate windows now.
Local
analysts note that current multiple exchange rate regime is like using an
elastic band to measure the length of a skirt; the skirt length will depend on
how well or how firmly the person measuring the fabric decides to pull the
band, in other words, each person pulling the band will have different skirt
measurements; the consequence is confusion. This is precisely the problem
economists say Nigeria has with multiple exchange rates.
The consequences, they argue, could lead to any or all of the following adverse outcomes:
According to Sanusi in a 2016 Financial Times of London interview; "These policies have been tried in different parts of the world and in this country before and they have just never worked. No matter what the stated intention behind them, they are wrong.}
Sanusi insisted, at the time, that the multiple exchange rate regime was in contradiction to President Muhammadu Buhari's anti-corruption drive as intermediation between foreign exchange markets creates an obvious opportunity to those with access to the official market to make millions of Naira in profit without breaking a sweat. He noted that the exchange rate policy, "encourages corruption and rent-seeking similar to the fuel subsidy regime."
The
Graphics of Market Distortion
The
Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN's) sustained effort at supporting the value of
the naira through weekly or bi-weekly supply of foreign exchange creates a
unique challenge for foreign exchange management. The CBN stands in the
position of a money supplier of a commodity with several buyers, the standard
economic outcome is that the price of the commodity would be higher than if more
suppliers existed in the market, in other words the monopolist can
dictate either the price or the quantity of
FX available but not both.
Standard
economic reasoning of an 'imperfect' market condition for FX is as
appear in the chart below:
A
flexible adjustment of the FX rate would (in the short run) see the Naira to
dollar rate rise to between N400/$ and N420/$ or about 11% or at worse 16%
above recent exchange values. As foreign reserves decline based on slow crude
oil demand and CBN's efforts at stabilizing the exchange rate around N360/$
wane, the FX rate will rise as quantity of dollars on offer decline (from Q1 in
the chart to Q0). The current official rate ofN306/$ creates arbitrage
opportunities (the shaded area in the chart to the right of triangle abc) and
some 'deadweight loss' as a result of the absence of a 'market clearing' price
(the left portion of triangle abc).
Consequences
of A Multiple Exchange Rate Regime
Countries
tend to use multiple exchange rates as temporary measures to reduce the adverse
effect of external commodity shocks on the domestic economy. Multiple rate
regimes are expected to be ad hoc and a stop gap towards the reversion of a
stable unified exchange rate regime. Local financial analysts believe that the
Nigerian monetary authority has gotten too comfortable with a multiple exchange
rate regime that it has little enthusiasm towards unification of the multiple
rates.
The consequence of continuing to maintain a multiple exchange rate into the year 2020 are dire, and will likely lead to the following unsavoury outcomes:
The
official CBN rate, therefore, is more of a benchmark for economic rent or what
amounts to taking unearned profit off the economic table by virtue of
privilege. Piles of money have been made over the last few quarters by taking
advantage of selective access to the foreign exchange market at the official
rate of N306/$.
A top
business executive, who understandably, requested for anonymity noted that, "the
official exchange rate is a terrific contraption for building cash empires for
the powerful and the privileged; therefore, suggesting that the CBN should
behave in a manner consistent with decent market practice around the world is
like telling a man whose wife collects protection money on his behalf to stop
harassing poor traders. The intention of the appeal is good but the barrel of a
gun down your throat is an unpleasant outcome. Nobody gives up privilege
without a fight".
"In a
policy environment where the CBN is the only Sherriff in town with the fiscal
overlords gone AWOL, one should not expect reprieve from the monetary bosses
any time soon. Multiple exchange rates as a tool for shielding the economy from
external trade shocks is too easy a default mode to encourage any alternative
policy action at the moment, especially any policy action that suggests further
devaluation of the Naira." He insists.
For
moderation sake, this argument may be exaggerated; but the fact that government
and privileged economic agents take advantage of the spread between the
official exchange rate and the NAFEX and IEFX rates is incontrovertible and
perhaps dangerous as it consigns the naira to a one-way shorting bet, a
situation where fund managers buy up dollars in a wager that the naira will
continue to fall, or a classic case of a dog chasing its own tail.
Another
School of Thought
Economists
and other thought-led analysts have argued that the problem with the exchange
market and by extension - the country's primary concern, should be liquidity and
not unification or convergence. This school of
thought believes that with more foreign exchange in supply, arbitrage
opportunities gradually disappear and the tiered exchange rate structure will
naturally disappear.
The
school points to the average daily market volume (ADMV) as a metrics of
importance. By way of elaboration those canvassing the supply side solution to
tiered exchange rates not that ADMV was $754m in 2018 (representing 2.5% of
Africa and 0.0155 of global activity). This they argue is materially
insignificant and attributing it to multiplicity of rates is a weak argument.
Supply
side analysts further note that developments in the uncollaterised loan market
and international remittances through social rather
than financial networks (involving remittances to
Nigeria of about $24bn annually) remains instructive. Rates in the uncollaterised
loan market range between 2.5% flat and 25% flat and rates in the remittances
of foreign exchange range from a conversion rate of N307/$ and N365/$.
The large
spread in rates reflect supply side rigidities. Therefore, increasing FX supply
should bring about lower rates in both markets and eliminate the need for
multi-tiered rates as presently exist.
The argument of a supply-side approach to FX management is persuasive but inconclusive as another school of thought holds firmly to the belief that the supply side argument is necessary, but not sufficient.
Looking
at the Other Policy Arm
As much
as increase liquidity in the FX market is a major factor in ensuring that
market rates converge, other analysts believe that the multi-layered architecture
of the CBN needs to be removed to prevent arbitrage and to allow the market
value of the naira reflect the underlying realities of demand and supply of FX.
This school of thought argues that, although FX liquidity is a necessary
condition for market rate convergence, it is not adequate to ensure stability
as preferential rates allowed by the CBN would create room for market
distortions.
As an
example, the school of thought argues that - if supply were adequate from
private sources, this would see the naira appreciate and force the price of the
dollar closer to N306/$; but if the CBN allows discriminatory pricing and
dollar subsidies (as occurs presently), economic agents will have an
incentive to obtain dollars at cheaper rates and sell them to third parties at
higher rates. The subsidy would discourage private sellers of the dollar who
feel hard done by as a result of the artificially created spread, hence leading
to a cut-back in supply of private dollars and a gradual rise in the N/$ rates
in private markets.
As Yogi
Berra once famously said, "it's deja vu all over again".
The
school for a dismantling of the scaffolds of the CBN's multiple exchange rate
structure believes that improved liquidity must be accompanied by a policy
clearly adverse to arbitrage and high velocity
speculation.
Bravery
in The Face of Expediency
The
monetary policy strategy of multiple exchange rates is usually used as a short
term technical measure to smoothen the path towards exchange rate unification
and lead to greater transparency in the allocation of scarce resources, but so
far the CBN has been seduced into using the tiered exchange rate approach to
maintain policy balance, but the 'Cobra effect' of the solution leading to unpleasant
consequences is both real and compelling.
A number
of consequences arising from the current FX management architecture reveals a
weak economic underbelly, viz:
Between
December 2018 and September 2019, the official exchange rate has gained +0.02%, the NAFEX rate +0.51%,
the IEFX rate +0.60% while the BDC has
appreciated +1.37% or twice the IEFX rate.
Apart from the official rate all other rates have clustered around N360/$.
With the
global economy cued for a recession (see Fasten Your Seatbelts There Is Turbulence
Ahead---LBS-Executive-Breakfast-Session---Sept-2019) the regular
market intervention by the CBN to keep exchange rates around current values
will become increasingly difficult.
Falling
foreign exchange revenues will put pressure on the Naira and require the
financial regulator to allow a drop in the external value of the local
currency.
The following will be the resultant effects:
Being
Brutal, Lovingly
If
Nigeria is to head off the harder problems of a global recession, the CBN must
be prepared to bite down on the bullet of rate unification, and the best time
to do it is now when virtually all market-sensitive rates are clustering around
a N360/$ value; however, the convergence has been mildly disrupted since July
2019 as rates broke out of the narrow band witnessed between March and June
2019 (see infographic 3 below).
The more
the economy suffers lower reserves, higher inflation and wider budget deficits
the more difficult it will become to take the tough love needed to eliminate
exchange rate subsidies.
The use of demand management strategies such as limiting certain categories of importers from accessing the banking system for FX purchases can only be temporary, the reality of economics makes it impossible for regulators to control both demand and supply at the same time just as they cannot control quantity and price simultaneously (see CBN To Expand List Of FX Restrictions On Imported Items).
Sometimes the hard way is the only way to resolving complex situations, even the road to hell is paved with good intentions despite the fiery pains.
For further details or/and contributions on the subject, kindly write to the Managing Editor vide content@proshareng.com.
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