Part B: The performance of the rand
Index
Page
The history of the rand 1
The rand in 2001 5
The rand against the dollar compared to other currencies 7
The rand against the euro 13
Table of graphs, charts, diagrams and tables contained in Part B
Title Page
Long term chart of USD-ZAR 1
Exchange rate of the rand against the US dollar during 2001 5
Rand/Dollar exchange rate from July 2001 6
Currencies against the US Dollar 8
Exchange rates of countries (BBB rated) against the US dollar 9
Exchange rates of various countries against the US dollar 9
The rand and emerging markets: from 1999 10
The rand and emerging markets: from 2001 11
The rand and commodity majors: from 2001 12
The rand and commodity majors II: from 2001 12
Exchange rate rand / US dollar vs rand / euro 14
The rand and the euro: undervalued 15
Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 1 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
B The performance of the rand
The history of the rand
1
1.1 In the long term, the rand has moved in one general movement in
favour of weakness as against the US dollar.1
Chart 1 Expert bundle 452
CHART 1 LONG TERM CHART OF USD-ZAR 14
12
10 98 EM ERGING 8 E MARKET CRISIS
RAT 6
4
2
0 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 ------n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n
Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja
1 Glynos Expert bundle 423 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 2 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
1.2 The general experience during the past twenty years with the
floating exchange rate system, specifically with regard to the
fluctuation in the exchange rate, was the following:
- The exchange rate often fluctuated quite a lot over the short
term, but followed a more rational path over the long term.
- The depreciation process never followed a smooth path and
has been described as a “staircase” adjustment process, with a
periodic run down a flight of stairs to a new level. The
exchange rate of the rand against the US dollar tended to
remain relatively stable for periods of up to two years, to be
followed by a rather steep downward adjustment over a short
period of time to a new (lower) level.
- In the circumstances, markets at times over-reacted. Market
interest rates rose to extremely high levels, and the rand
depreciated by more than the inflation differential – hence the
need for a period of consolidation and stabilisation after every
sharp depreciation of the rand.2
Highlights of the performance of the rand before 2001 were:-
1.2.1 Most of the rand’s history incorporated a dual exchange
rate system. The financial rand acted as a shock absorber
2 Stals Expert bundle 170, 171 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 3 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
for the commercial rand traded at a significant discount of
between 15% and 55% to the commercial rand over the
thirty years that this mechanism was in place.
1.2.2 On different occasions during the 1970’s the commercial
rand was fixed to the US dollar or to the British pound and
fluctuated in line with the value of these currencies. In
September 1975, specifically, government devalued the
rand against the pound by 18%.
1.2.3 In the late 1970’s the commercial rand was allowed to float
freely against all currencies and in 1980 hit its highest
level ever of USD1.35 to the rand.
1.2.4 During the debt standstill crisis in the 1980’s both the
commercial and financial rands plummeted, with the rand
losing over 30% of its real trade weighted value in a matter
of months. The only comparable decline of such
magnitude in the real effective exchange rate of the rand
was witnessed in November and December 2001.
1.2.5 For a period of eleven months after the abolition of the
dual exchange rate system on 10 March 1995 the unified
rand was stable at around R 3.60 to the US dollar. Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 4 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
1.2.6 1996 marked a “sell-off” of the rand with the rand losing
20% of its value reaching R 4.50 against the US dollar by
June 1996.
1.2.7 Around September/October 1997, the world witnessed the
start of the so-called Asian crisis. The contagion arising
from this crisis hit all emerging markets in May 1998 and
the rand was materially affected, as with currencies of
many other developing countries.
1.2.8 Having declined by over 20% in real terms in 1998, the
rand regained some of its composure through 1999, trading
in a broad band between R 5.50 and R 6.40 to the US
dollar during that year.
1.2.9 The long slide in the rand began with the rand trading at R
6.12 at the turn of the new millennium.3
1.3 Over the twenty-one month period from the beginning of 2000 to
11 September 2001 the rand maintained an almost consistent and
fairly well-defined declining trend against the US dollar.
3 Jammine Expert bundle 297 – 300, 303, 304, 307- 312 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 5 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
The rand in 2001
2
2.1 The decline of the rand is illustrated in the graph below, which
shows the exchange rate of the rand against the US dollar during
the year 2001:
Graph 9 Bundle SARB (07) 65
Exchange rate of the rand against the US dollar during 2001
SA rands 14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6 2 6 0 3 7 3 7 0 4 8 2 5 9 3 7 1 4 8 1 5 9 3 6 0 4 8 0 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 3 1 2 1 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 ------01 01 01 02 02 03 03 04 04 05 05 06 06 07 07 07 08 08 09 09 10 10 11 11 12 12 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 G r aph 9
G9 - Exchange rate of the rand
The extent of the pace of depreciation of the rand during the period July
2001 to December 2001 is illustrated in the graph below. The term “big
figure” is used to refer to the figure before the decimal, i.e. from R 8.00 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 6 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
to R 9.00. These “big figure” movements represent declines of
approximately 12.5%, 11% and 40% respectively.4
Diagram 15 Expert bundle 125(a)
2.2 During the year 2001, the rand recorded the following exchange
rates against the US dollar during the year:
- moving from around R 7.605 to the US dollar at the beginning
of the year, the rand depreciated to over R 8.00 for the first
time ever during the second quarter;6
4 Gouws Record 129, 130 5 Mboweni Bundle SARB (07) 283 6 Jammine Expert bundle 317 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 7 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
- the pace of depreciation increased with the rand R 8.52 to the
US dollar on 11 September, R 9.03 at the end of September
and R 9.44 at the end of October;
- by the end of November 2001 the rand had fallen to R 10.27
to the US dollar;7
- the rapid depreciation reached its crescendo with the rand
hitting a new all-time low of R 13.84 to the US dollar on 21
December 2001;8
- for the period 1 January to 31 August 2001 the rand
depreciated by 10.7% or an average of 1.3% per month, while
from 1 September to 31 December 2001, the rand weakened
by 42% - an average of 10.5% per month.9
The rand against the dollar compared to other currencies
3
3.1 The weakness of the rand against the US dollar during 2001
compared to other comparable countries is illustrated in the
7 Jammine Expert bundle 336 8 Mboweni Bundle SARB (07) 30 9 See Part K § 8 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 8 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
diagram below, indicating that South Africa had become, towards
the end of 2001, somewhat of a special case10:
Diagram 5 Expert bundle 120
The graphs below show the rand’s performance relative to the exchange rates of similarly rated countries and against those of other emerging-market economies, the thick red line indicating the South African rand:
10 Gouws Expert Bundle 114 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 9 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
Graphs 11& 12 Bundle SARB (07) 68-69
Exchange rates of countries (BBB rated) against the US dollar
Indices: 2000-01-01=100 120 2001-09-11
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40 03 19 04 20 07 23 08 24 10 26 11 27 13 29 14 30 15 01 17 02 18 04 20 05 21 06 22 10 26 11 27 13 29 14 30 16 01 17 02 18 04 20 05 21 07 23 ------01 01 02 02 03 03 04 04 05 05 06 06 07 07 08 08 09 10 10 11 11 12 12 01 01 02 02 03 03 04 04 05 05 06 06 07 08 08 09 09 10 10 11 11 12 12 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2000- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001-
Egypt South Africa Tunisia Croatia Estonia Hungary Latvia G r aph 11
G11 - Exchange rates of countries
Exchange rates of various countries against the US dollar
Index 2001-05-01=100 115
105
95
85
75
2001-09-11 65
55 01 08 15 22 29 05 12 19 26 03 10 17 24 31 07 14 21 28 04 11 18 25 02 09 16 23 30 06 13 20 27 04 11 18 25 05- 05- 05- 05- 05- 06- 06- 06- 06- 07- 07- 07- 07- 07- 08- 08- 08- 08- 09- 09- 09- 09- 10- 10- 10- 10- 10- 11- 11- 11- 11- 12- 12- 12- 12- Gr 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- aph 12
Brazil Poland Hungary Czech SA G12 – Exchange rates of various Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 10 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
3.2 If one measures the rand against four other emerging market
currencies: the Brazilian real, the Korean won, the Polish zloty
and the Mexican peso, one finds that from 1999 until late 2001
there was not much difference in the value of the rand and those
currencies, save that the Brazilian real was weaker.
Slide 2, O’Neill Bundle 3
2 TThhee RanRaRannddd && EmergingEEmergmerginging MMaarketrrketketss:s:: FrFFrromom 119199999999 75 Index 1/1/99 = 100 $/KRW $/MXN 100
125 $/PLN
150 $/ZAR 175
200 $/BRL Depreciation 225
250 99 00 01 02
In 2001 the rand held its own against the Korean won, the Polish
zloty and the Mexican peso until September/October 2001 but Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 11 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
then plunged in value. In December 2001 the rand became even
weaker than the Brazilian real.11
Slide 3 O’Neill Bundle 4
3 TheThe RRaandnd && EEmergmergingiinngg MMaarrketkets:s: FrFromom 20200101 80 Index 1/1/01 = 100 90 $/MXN 100 110 $/KRW $/PLN 120 130 140 $/ZAR 150 $/BRL 160 Depreciation 170 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAM 02 01
3.3 Similarly, until about September/October 2001, the rand
performed as well as other commodity currencies, such as the
Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, the New Zealand dollar,
the Norwegian krone and the Swedish krone. “[It] was October last
11 Evidence of Dr TJ O’Neill, Global Head of Economic Research, Goldman Sachs, Record 1464 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 12 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
year something seemed to happen…which caused the rand to actually
under-perform those commodity majors…relative to the [US] dollar.”12
Slide 5 O’Neill Bundle 6
5 TThhee RandRand && CommodCommodiityty MMaajorsjors I:I: FrFromom 22000011 80 Index 1/1/01 = 100 NZD/$ 90 $/CAD (inverted) 100 110 120 AUD/$ 130 (inverted) $/ZAR 140 150 160 Depreciation 170 180 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAM 01 02
Slide 7 O’Neill Bundle 8
7 TThhee RandRand && CommodCommodiityty MMaajorsjors II:II: FrFromom 22000011 90 Index 1/1/01 = 100 $/NOK 100 110 120 $/SEK 130 $/ZAR 140 150 160 Depreciation 170 180 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAM 01 02
12 Evidence of O’Neill, Record 1467-8 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 13 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
3.4 Dr O’Neill testified that in his opinion one should not spend too
much time blaming one specific currency for its decline against
the US dollar. In the past three years many currencies weakened
against the US dollar, some of which have had weak growth,
some had very strong growth, some had current account
surpluses, some had current account deficits, and so on. Generally
speaking, until late 2001 there was nothing that interesting from
an international perspective about the rand’s weakness. Given
that other important currencies also weakened against the US
dollar, there was not much that South Africa could do about it
because it had nothing to do with South Africa.13
The rand against the euro
4
4.1 The performance of the rand is usually illustrated against the US
dollar. Although the rand/euro exchange rate was no worse in
early September 2000 than it had been when the euro was
introduced, between September 2000 and November 2000, the
rand suddenly began declining against all currencies, especially
13 Evidence of O’Neill, Record 1466-1469 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 14 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
the euro. This was at a time when the euro began strengthening
against the US dollar.14 This is illustrated in the graph below:
Chart 20 Expert bundle 369
EXCHANGE RATE RAND / US DOLLAR vs RAND / EURO 13.0 R/$ 12.0
11.0
10.0
RATE 9.0
8.0
7.0 R/Euro
6.0 00 01 02
4.2 Goldman Sachs adopts a methodology to estimate the fair value
of an exchange rate. Fair value is defined as the inflation adjusted
exchange rate (often called purchasing power parity (PPP)) which
is then adjusted for relative productivity. Conceptually, a country
with stronger productivity should see its real currency appreciate
relative to other currencies and a country with weak productivity
should see its currency depreciate. Until late 2001, according to
14 Jammine Expert bundle 316 Commission of Inquiry into the rapid depreciation of the exchange rate 15 of the rand and related matters: Final Report dated 30 June 2002
the fair value model, the Euro was more undervalued than the
rand.
Slide 8, O’Neill Bundle 9
8 TThhee RandRand && TThhee Euro:Euro: UndeUnderrvvaalluedued 20
10
0 ZAR -10
-20
-30 EUR -ve = undervaluation -40 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02
4.3 It may be that as Europe is a major trading partner of South
Africa, the euro’s persistent weakness relative to fair value has
contributed to the rand’s weakness. 15
15 Evidence of O’Neill, Record 1470-1