QUOTE(howszat @ Aug 12 2015, 10:19 PM)
I don't think there is anyone in any central bank who believes they can stabilize their currency.
It is pretty well known that central banks ability to influence their currency's exchange rate versus the market, is very limited. Apart from pegging.
The only exception is probably the Federal Reserve, but that's not so much due to them but the fact that their currency is effectively a world standard.
QUOTE(cherroy @ Aug 12 2015, 10:26 PM)
To be fair, BNM also cannot do nothing if speculators start to pile up against your currency.
Need to give "warning" to market, "don't play too far".
We do not know how much exactly was used to "defend" the RM at Rm3.80.
With capital flight from stock market and bond market, the foreign currency reserves surely will go down, as those capital when remit out, they will drain the the BNM foreign currency reserves.
Investors sell off share or bond, take RM in cash, go to bank to exchange to USD, then BNM needs to use the USD in foreign currency reserves to pay them.
I agree it is a tall order for a central bank to defend its currency using purely its reserve.
It is more towards psychology played on the currency traders. To smooth out the price, central bank gives warning to the traders that they will defend the currency, so please don't mess with me or you will lose out. I have 100b in the bank, how much do you have to fight me ?
Its like the Stabilising Manager in a IPO. If the forces go against the company, nothing can stop it. What it does is just give confidence to the investors and hopefully they believe and will not create a wave to sell down below the IPO price.
But on hindsight, BNM loss out to the market forces despite good economics fundamental and a fresh clean bill of healthy report card from Fitch Rating