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New competitive indicators added to UNCTADstat: Nominal and real effective exchange rate indices

25 April 2013

The effective exchange rate is an indicator to grasp country's international competitiveness in terms of its foreign exchange rates that cannot be understood by examining only individual exchange rates between the country's currency and other currencies. The term "effective" means that exchange rate changes are not measured against one particular currency, but instead use an average index of a whole basket of currencies, each weighted according to the issuing countries' respective importance as a trade partner.

The nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) adjusts nominal bilateral exchange rates by applying weighted trade data of its trading partners. And real effective exchange rate (REER), in addition, takes into account of price level (approximated by consumer price indices) differences between trading partners.

The data cover the period 1998-2012 for more than 120 economic/trade groups and over 175 economies.The data are updated once a year in April.