Skip to main content

August/September 1982

The Strong U.S. Dollar: A Dilemma for Foreign Monetary Authorities

by Dallas S. Batten and James E. Kamphoefner

The trade-weighted value of the dollar has risen 35 percent from July 1980 to April 1982. This article examines the rise in this value using an analytical framework that describes and evaluates the policy alternatives available to a foreign monetary authority whose currency is depreciating. Of particular importance are the relationship between external and internal policy objectives, the role played by exchange rate movements in the formation of domestic monetary policy, and the consequences of the policy choice.