An overview of the causes, effects, and aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.
This paper seeks to examine and analyze the causes of the Asian financial crisis and their effects. It evaluates the impact of such factors as currency overvaluation and debt liquidity on the extent of the bubble collapse. It also looks at the exasperation of the crisis by sovereign and IMF intervention and seeks to explain the ramifications of the crisis at a sovereign and domestic firm-based level.
“Currency overvaluation severely affected the Asian nations when combined with the precarious use of debt. The prolific use of foreign currency denominated debt within Asian was only tenable in conjunction with a stable exchange rate. Here, however, despite little rise in real exchange rate, the long run growth rate of Asian countries such as Thailand did not match that of the $US – indicating currency overvaluation. Following the depreciation of the Baht other Asian currencies depreciated due to export competitiveness- an example of contagion . The currency devaluation made it more difficult to make payments in other currencies, thus non-performing loans increased. The foreign currency risk adopted by Asian countries was compounded by liquidity risk.”