In case of speculative attacks, the central banks' decisions to intervene or not to intervene seem to play an important role for the economic costs of currency crises. The central bank can either abstain from intervening or start an intervention, which in turn can be successful or unsuccessful....

Emerging countries are held to be subject to more frequent and more pronounced external and internal shocks than their developed counter-parts. This suggests that key variables pertaining to their markets, including their exchange rates, will be marked by greater likelihood of extreme...