We explain the size of international reserve depletion during the global crisis, where only about half of the EMs drew down their reserves as part of the adjustment mechanism. Countries that internalized their large exposure to trade shocks before the crisis, used their IR as a buffer stock in...

In this paper we study the degree to which emerging markets (EMs) adjusted to the global liquidity crisis by drawing down their international reserves (IR). Overall, we find a mixed and complex picture. Intriguingly, only about half of the EMs depleted their IR as part of the adjustment...