Hedger of Last Resort: Evidence from Brazilian FX Interventions, Local Credit and Global Financial Cycles

Abstract

We show that local central bank policies attenuate global financial cycle (GFC)'s spillovers. For identification, we exploit GFC shocks and Brazilian interventions in FX derivatives using three matched administrative registers: credit, foreign credit flows to banks, and employer-employee. After U.S. Federal Reserve Taper Tantrum (followed by strong Emerging Markets FX depreciation and volatility increase), Brazilian banks with larger ex-ante reliance on foreign debt strongly cut credit supply, thereby reducing firm-level employment. However, a large FX intervention program supplying derivatives against FX risks-hedger of last resort-halves the negative effects. Finally, a 2008-2015 panel exploiting GFC shocks and local related policies confirm these results.

Keywords: foreign exchange, monetary policy, central bank, bank credit, hedging

JEL Classification: E5, F3, G01, G21, G28