Because durable goods have the quality of an asset, risk-averse consumers want to pay a lower price for durable than for nondurable goods so that they are compensated for the risk of price changes; they require risk premium. Since the exchange rate is a strong source of uncertainty in import...

This paper brings forward the insurance aspect of holding reserves by using the conceptual equivalence between insurance and financial options, and explores when reserves are likely to become the primary means of precautionary arrangement, in particular in emerging markets. The sharp rise in the...