Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/114443 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
KOF Working Papers No. 371
Publisher: 
ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, Zurich
Abstract: 
This paper studies the effects of a change in the Swiss franc/euro exchange rate floor, as introduced by the Swiss National Bank in September 2011 using a survey based impulse responses analysis. Survey based impulse responses incorporate experimental settings into representative firm surveys, expose firm executives to treatment or shock scenarios and evaluate the effects of the shocks on executives' expected firm-level outcomes. Our results suggest that a change in the exchange rate floor from 1.20 to 1.10 Swiss francs per euro and a subsequent appreciation of the Swiss franc by the same magnitude considerably decreases expected turnovers, costs and profits of Swiss firms. Manufacturing turnover decreases by 3.3% within six months and by 4.3% within 18 months. Total costs decline by 1.3% within six months and 2.0% within 18 months, while profits shrink by 3.3% within six months. The effects are substantially lower for the service and the construction sector, but exhibit large variation across sub-sector industries. Panel regression analysis reveals that firm-specific export shares and intermediate goods import shares are key determinants of firms' turnover, costs and profits reactions.
Subjects: 
Swiss franc/euro exchange rate floor
survey based impulse responses
macroeconomic shock identification
structural micro data
disaggregation
JEL: 
C83
C99
E37
F31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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