Public Debt Indexation and Denomination: The Case of Brazil

Author/Editor:

Ilan Goldfajn

Publication Date:

February 1, 1998

Electronic Access:

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Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary:

The paper models the optimal debt management strategy of the public sector when issuing nominal, price-level-indexed and foreign-denominated debt securities. The model predicts that the variance of inflation, the size of the public debt, the variance of the real exchange rate, and the correlation of inflation with public expenditures are the main determinants of public debt management. Using this framework, the paper analyzes the Brazilian experience with indexed debt in the last decade. In particular, it explains the large increase of indexed public debt in Brazil prior to the 1994 Real plan and, thereafter, the steady decline in its use.

Series:

Working Paper No. 1998/018

Subject:

External debt Financial regulation and supervision Foreign exchange Hedging Inflation Prices Public debt Real exchange rates

English

Publication Date:

February 1, 1998

ISBN/ISSN:

9781451922806/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA0181998

Pages:

28

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