Herdenverhalten von Wechselkursprognostikern? / Herd Behavior of Exchange Rate Forecasters?

Abstract

SummaryExchange rates have been found to be more volatile than underlying macroeconomic fundamentals. Researchers have argued that the empirically observed high exchange-rate volatility may result from herd behavior of foreign-exchange traders and forecasters. We sketch a standard model that illustrates that herd behavior of foreign-exchange-rate forecasters may be rational. We then use survey data to test for herd behavior of forecasters. Our results suggest that exchange-rate-forecasters anti-herd and “lean against the wind” when forecasting exchange rates.