International Reserves, Current Account Imbalance and Short Term External Debt: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This paper examines the behavior of international reserve holdings in East Asia, ASEAN5, and non-ASEAN countries during the period 1970-2005 using panel cointegration and FMOLS. The panel cointegration tests find the existence of long run relationship between international reserve holdings and its determinants. The panel group FMOLS results indicate that current account balance is statistically significant and exert a positive impact on international reserve holdings in East Asia, ASEAN5 and non-ASEAN countries while short term external debt shows a positive and negative impact on international reserve holdings in ASEAN5 and non-ASEAN countries, respectively.