Exchange rate transmission patterns for inflation rate in Brazil

Abstract

This paper analyzes the importance of the exchange rate in the inflation determination under Inflation Targeting in Brazil. Its main contribution is recognizing that the exchange rate pass-through can vary in more or less appreciated exchange rate situations. Thereby, this paper starts from a theoretical analysis of the determinants of exchange rate pass-through, followed by an investigation of the relationship between exchange rate and inflation in Brazil. Finally, the article presents the estimates of a Vector Autoregressive model (VAR) for a Brazilian economy, between 2002 and 2021. The main results of this article indicate the exacerbated dependence of the exchange rate as a mechanism of price control in Brazil, especially in moments of exchange rate with a trend to appreciate. The main implication of this result is the necessity to evaluate the role of this policy beyond price control.