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Economic Report of the President

Report - The American Presidency Project

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TABLE S-5.—Real appreciation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dollar against major currencies to August 1982[Percent change from base year to August 1982']Base yearFrench francGerman markJapanese yen19711972 . ...-1.011.8-2.19.5=-25.3= 13.11973197427 921.431.431.02.06.41975197639 529.633.728.87.310.91977197829.443.035.950.124.32 53.11979198050 851.653.844.236.825.9198121.111.3a 22.91 Percent change in <strong>the</strong> price <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dollar In each currency, adjusted for differences in consumer price inflation.'Indicates a base year relative to which <strong>the</strong> August 1982 exchange rate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> yen looks lower than that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rcurrencies.Source: Board <strong>of</strong> Governors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Federal Reserve System.movements over <strong>the</strong> last several years stemmed from a strong dollarra<strong>the</strong>r than a weak yen. An examination <strong>of</strong> Japanese policy by <strong>the</strong>U.S. Treasury supports this conclusion. This study found that Japanhas attempted to isolate its domestic capital market from world capitalmarkets, but that this has tended to limit capital outflow ra<strong>the</strong>rthan inflow, supporting ra<strong>the</strong>r than weakening <strong>the</strong> yen. Japanese capitalcontrols have been relaxed in recent years, a move which <strong>the</strong>United States supports even though <strong>the</strong> result will be a weaker yenand an increase in Japan's current account surplus. In <strong>the</strong> 1980s,Japan may well become more <strong>of</strong> a capital exporter than it was in <strong>the</strong>1970s, and thus have larger current account surpluses. These surpluses,if <strong>the</strong>y materialize, will result from Japan's high domesticsaving rate, which gives Japan a natural role as an exporter <strong>of</strong> capitalto <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world.To show that <strong>the</strong>re is no special yen issue is not to deny that asubstantial deterioration has occurred in <strong>the</strong> relative cost position <strong>of</strong>U.S. firms. This deterioration was actually larger relative to o<strong>the</strong>rindustrial countries, but since Japan is <strong>the</strong> United States' most importantcompetitor, <strong>the</strong> depreciation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> yen worries U.S. firms more.There is no special yen issue, but <strong>the</strong> strong dollar does pose genuineproblems.EFFECTS OF A STRONG DOLLAR ON U.S. TRADEThe rise <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dollar was associated with a large rise in <strong>the</strong> productioncosts <strong>of</strong> U.S. firms relative to those <strong>of</strong> foreign competitors.To take one measure, unit labor costs in U.S. manufacturing rose 32percent relative to those <strong>of</strong> a weighted average <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r industrialcountries from <strong>the</strong>ir low point in <strong>the</strong> third quarter <strong>of</strong> 1980 to <strong>the</strong>second quarter <strong>of</strong> 1982. This rise in relative costs has at least tempo-66

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