Exchange-rate fluctuation and pricing behavior in China’s wood-based panel exporters: evidence from panel data

Abstract

As the largest wood-based panel producing and exporting country, China has experienced sharp reductions in the growth rate of its wood-based panel exports because of pressure caused by exchange-rate fluctuation. These fluctuations were exacerbated by the global financial crisis. China’s wood-based panel exporters need to adjust their pricing strategy to cope with the changes of international market conditions. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between exchange-rate fluctuation and the pricing behavior of China’s wood-based panel exporters. To evaluate the impact of the exchange rate on China’s wood-based panel export prices across multiple destinations, a pricing-to-market model incorporating panel data was used. The empirical results suggest that although complete exchange-rate pass-through exists widely in China’s wood-based exports, China’s fiberboard and plywood exporters tended to adopt different pricing strategies in the international wood-based panel market during the post-crisis era. China’s fiberboard exporters often used the pricing-to-market model to determine prices in the main export destination countries, while China’s plywood exporters tended to amplify the exchange-rate effects. This indicates that China’s plywood exporters have stronger international market power than China’s fiberboard exporters, partly because China’s plywood exporters have more advantages in terms of skilled labor.