Event Summary
The Peterson Institute held the conference "Currency Wars: Economic Realities, Institutional Responses, and the G-20 Agenda" on April 2, 2013. A collaboration between PIIE and American University's Washington College of Law and Brazilian International Trade Scholars, Inc., conference participants presented legal, economic, emerging market, and G-7 perspectives on currency relations and retaliations between trading economies.
The first panel focused on new research on the significant economic impact of currency intervention and misalignment. Presenters included Joseph E. Gagnon, PIIE; and Vera Thorstensen, Getúlio Vargas Foundation, followed by discussants Douglas Irwin, Dartmouth University; Alberto Musalem, Tudor Investments; and Luis Catao, International Monetary Fund (IMF). The second panel addressed the institutional roles of the IMF and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and their standing to deal with currency disputes. Discussants included legal experts Michael Gadbaw, Georgetown University; Hector Torres, IMF; and Gary Clyde Hufbauer, PIIE.
The afternoon panel addressed the global implications of currency wars in the context of the G-20. Speakers included Benoit Coeuré, European Central Bank; John Murray, Bank of Canada; Luiz Pereira da Silva, Central Bank of Brazil; and Robert Zoellick, PIIE.
Event Materials
Economics Panel
- Moderator: C. Fred Bergsten (PIIE)
- Presenters
- Joseph E. Gagnon (PIIE)
- Working Paper 13-2: The Elephant Hiding in the Room: Currency Intervention and Trade Imbalances
- Presentation [PDF]
- Vera Thorstensen (Getúlio Vargas Foundation)
- Trade Rules and Exchange Rate Misalignments: In Search for a WTO Solution [PDF]
- Presentation [PDF]
- Discussants
- Luis Catao (IMF)
- Presentation [PDF]
- Douglas Irwin (Dartmouth College)
- Paper
- Alberto Musalem (Tudor Investments)
Law Panel: The Roles of the IMF and the WTO
- Moderator: Aluisio De Lima-Campos (American University) Paper [PDF]
- Presenters
- R. Michael Gadbaw (Georgetown Law)
- Outline [PDF]
- Presentation [PDF]
- Hector Torres (Alternate Executive Director, IMF)
- Gary Clyde Hufbauer (PIIE)
Luncheon Panel: Currency Wars and the G-20's Goal of Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced Growth
- Moderator: Adam S. Posen (PIIE)
- Presenters
- John Murray (Bank of Canada)
- Presentation [PDF]
- Benoit Coeuré (European Central Bank)
- Prepared Remarks
- Luiz Pereira da Silva (Banco Central do Brasil)
- Paper [PDF]
- Robert Zoellick (PIIE)
Book: Flexible Exchange Rates for a Stable World Economy
Joseph E. Gagnon
October 2011