1 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Odd Lots Podcast. 2 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: I'm Joe Wisenthal and I'm Tracy Halloway. It's pretty incredible, 3 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: how like every you know, for the last several years, 4 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: maybe five, six, seven years, I feel like there's this 5 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: rhythm where, maybe like every nine months or every year, 6 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: the world really turns its focus to what's going on 7 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: with Turkey, what's going on with Turkish monetary policy, and 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: what's going on with the Lira. Yeah, I know what 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: you mean. It does seem to pop up like at 10 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: least once a year and suddenly everyone's very focused on it, 11 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: and then within a month or two people seem to 12 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: have forgotten it, or at least it's moved out of 13 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: the limelight. But I have to say we're recording this 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: on Christmas Eve, December, and this week in particular or 15 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: has been one of those weeks where everyone wakes up 16 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: and decides that they all have opinions on Turkey and 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: what's going on there. And to be fair, we have 18 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: seen this enormous amount of volatility in the lira. So 19 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: I think the lira was up something like twenty five 20 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: per cent on a single day this week after are 21 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: to Wan announced a new mechanism to try to stop 22 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: its halt, and before that it was down. I think 23 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: it had lost like half its value over the past 24 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: three months. So just crazy moves in the currency. Yeah, right. 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: There are a lot of e m s which see 26 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: significant currency volatility. You know, we see it in Brazil 27 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: from time to time, we see it in South Africa 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: and so forth, but there seems to be nothing quite 29 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: like the volatility that we see in the Lira, and 30 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: it's incredibly volatile. And as you mentioned, and you said 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: there a day I think it was up like thirty 32 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: five from the lows of that day, because I think 33 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: in the morning it was down ten percent. But as 34 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: you mentioned, President Radwan having instituted a new mechanism to 35 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: attempt to stem the decline, and we'll get into how 36 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: that works. I think it was up thirty like truly, 37 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: any sort of like macro tourist and what is interest 38 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: in currencies, monetary policy, etcetera, had to be sort of 39 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: like jaw dropping at that move that day, right. And 40 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: the other thing going on with Turkey, of course, is this, 41 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: I guess, rejection of economic orthodoxy. So when it comes 42 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: to emerging markets, I think there's often a perception that, 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: you know, e M s are different to developed economies 44 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: for a variety of reasons. But there's always concern about 45 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,679 Speaker 1: fiscal discipline and whether or not they're going to be conservative, 46 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: whether or not they have the institutional strength to you know, 47 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: keep the economy in check and keep it stable. And 48 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: then when it comes to Turkey, we've seen just I guess, 49 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: an extreme version of these concerns, where are Doowan is 50 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: rejecting economic orthodoxy. He keeps lowering interest rates and that's 51 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: leading to inflation and that's causing the currency to fall, 52 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: and no one really knows how to interpret it. I guess, yeah, 53 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: I think that's exactly right. And you see it from 54 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: time to time that various e M s will say, 55 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: have a central banker who is very steeped in a 56 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: sort of neoclassical economics, and whether the sort of measures 57 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: are successful or not, there's always this sort of there's 58 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: often this sort of portrayal to foreign investors of like 59 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: fiscal discipline in central bank independence and macroeconomic orthodoxy. And 60 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: I think, uh, you know, people look at Turkey and 61 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: they see an example of a country and a system 62 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: that very much not playing by those sort of like 63 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: the standard playbook, and then they see the volatility and 64 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: they say, oh, well, this is what happens when you 65 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: don't when you don't follow the rules laid out by 66 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: the University of Chicago Economics department. Yeah, that's one way 67 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: of putting it. Yeah, anyway, but I still, you know, 68 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: I again I sort of edgine, like, you know, we're 69 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: all so many like tourists look at Turkey, and I 70 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: don't think we have like a truly deep understanding of 71 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: what is going on in the economy, approach to monetary policy, 72 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: what is going on with the leer and so forth. 73 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: So I'm very excited about our guest today who is 74 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: going to help us understand everything about how the Turkish 75 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: economy and monetary system works. We're gonna be speaking with 76 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: Lutfla Bingo. He's an economist at a bank in Istanbul 77 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: al Baraka Turk Lutfala. Thank you so much for joining us, 78 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: Thanks for having So why don't we start? I mean, 79 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: would you say it's I mean, it's a fair characterization, 80 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: this idea that in this very Turkey, in a very 81 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: sort of overt sense does not sort of make the 82 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 1: same I guess that. Yeah, I want to play by 83 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:03,919 Speaker 1: the same playbook as many emerging markets typically attempted. There 84 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: are some similarities with some periods with some countries, but 85 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: Turkey has some very unique fundamental conditions. Some of these 86 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: are issues, and some of these are strengths, and the 87 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: Turkey Turkish economy is of course bound by these. That 88 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: is why sometimes Turkey makes different choices than the rule book. 89 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: I'm not even sure a proper rule book exists for 90 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: emerging markets, but that will be one of my arguments today. 91 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: There is no rule book for what Turkey goes through 92 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: it and there will be one if this instrument works. 93 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: You're talking about the attempt to stabilize the lerou that 94 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: was announced this week. But before we get to that, 95 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: can I just ask a really basic and I guess 96 00:05:56,839 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: this is the obvious question, but you know what is 97 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: where all the interest rate cuts? Like, where does the 98 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: refusal to actually raise interest rates come from? And what's 99 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: the rationale for going in that direction? To answer that question, 100 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,799 Speaker 1: I'm going to have to provide an entire framework, which 101 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,039 Speaker 1: I was planning to do anyway. Ship So who should 102 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: I go and do that? Ye? Sure, please go for it? First, off. 103 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: It's going to sound like a cliche, but I do 104 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: not believe in structures or you know, claims. I believe 105 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: in incentives, and for various reasons I'm going to talk 106 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: about today the central bankers goal of price stability and 107 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: the policymakers goal of you know, having growth providing jobs. 108 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: Those are two conflicting goals in the case of Turkey, 109 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: and that is for precisely one reason, because there is 110 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: a huge amount of dulverization. And that is precisely why 111 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: I do not see this week's move as just the 112 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: short term measure to you know, stabilize the er. I 113 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: see it as a crucial structural reform. I begin this 114 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: week extremely pessimistically. I had almost no hope, but now 115 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: I'm rather hopeful because what they announced it tells me 116 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: that they diagnose the problem right, and if the mechanisms 117 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: announced work, we won't have that problem anymore. So for 118 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: the first time in probably Turkish history, after the end 119 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: of you know, Breton Woods, perhaps we will have a 120 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: proper alignments of incentives. So I think I will have 121 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: answered the question why the policy makers you know, add 122 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: fuel to the fire whenever there is a global USD 123 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: cycle downturn. Whenever fed heights interest rate, you see central 124 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: bank independence and Turkey disappear. I will try to explain 125 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: why is that? So, what do we get it? Just 126 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: get give us this sort of basic argument for because 127 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: I think from a sort of like foreign perspective, the 128 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: typical story is air do Wan is pushing this sort 129 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: of like very heterodox, unusual policy. It's not out of 130 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: the central anchor playbook. It's bad. We get to the lira, 131 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: people flee to dollars and so forth, and it leads 132 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: to inflation and price instability. It sounds like your argument 133 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: is that it's something much deeper and much more structural 134 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 1: with the Turkish economy, and that it can simply be 135 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: attributed to these sort of idiosyncratic policy choices. So before 136 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: we even get into the mechanism, and we'll talk about that, 137 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: of course, what is it about the structure of the 138 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: Turkish economy in your view, that creates these cycles? There 139 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: are three types of flows that are inconsistent with each other. 140 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: So you have dollarization, you have the current account balance, 141 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: and you have the foreign capital inflows and outflows. There 142 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: is no single interest rate that can balance all three 143 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: of these in the case of Turkey, so whatever you do, 144 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: you'll sacrifice something. And in the case of Turkey, if 145 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: given this structure, if you don't change anything, you take 146 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: this is given if you aim for price stability, and 147 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,839 Speaker 1: the global central banks, especially FED, is hiking interest rates. 148 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: So you do not have that much capful flows, you 149 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: do not receive that much capital flows, there is no 150 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: way you can grow. Basically that that will be my argument. 151 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: And any policymaker anywhere in living in a democracy wants 152 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: the economy to grow and if something is standing in 153 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 1: the way of that, that that thing will be run over. 154 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: That that that is what's happening in Turkey, and if 155 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: dollarization issued, it's result I think you'll see are gone 156 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: talking about interest rates a lot less. Can you, just 157 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,959 Speaker 1: before we move on, can you talk about how dollarization 158 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 1: became such a thing for the Turkish economy, because of course, 159 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: there are a lot of emerging markets that have dollarization 160 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: to some degree. They have people who you know, don't 161 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: necessarily trust the local currency and want to shift into 162 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: something that they perceive as more safe, or they have 163 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: a lot of you know, trade that's denominated in dollars, 164 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: things like that. But in Turkey, as you just laid out, 165 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: it seems to be extreme or it seems to be 166 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: more of an issue because of the structure of the economy. 167 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: So how did that happen. It started with a very 168 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: premature capital account of done by the late President Turkados 169 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 1: All In with that kepital account opening, he also let 170 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: people have FX deposit accomps in local banks, So that's 171 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: how it started. And throughout the nineties there was this 172 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 1: predictable pattern whenever, whenever there was something wrong with the 173 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: Turkish economy you know USD Lira exchange, it blew up. 174 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: So if you are a you know, household, if you're 175 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: a person observing this pattern, this means you have now 176 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: access to a put option. That's pretty much it's in 177 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: the case of Turkey, I argue the main reason for 178 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: dolorization is that that's the only tail events hedge household 179 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 1: has access to. And that's what makes this problem hugely pernicious, 180 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:58,080 Speaker 1: because if you treat it like some sort of simple 181 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: portfolio choice and tried to solve it that way, it 182 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: doesn't work. And I'll tell how they treated that way 183 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: and it didn't work. And now for the first time, 184 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: diagnosing the problem right that you know, dollarization, households holding 185 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: dollars is a tail event hedge, and unless you completely 186 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: replicate the payoff structure of that tail event hedge, there 187 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: is no way you can prevent dollarization, you know, borring 188 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: capital controls or something. So this is the first credible 189 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: attempt to do that. I think that That's what I 190 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 1: meant by they seem to be diagnosing the problem, right. 191 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,319 Speaker 1: What do I mean by you can't solve this problem 192 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:47,079 Speaker 1: by treating it as a simple portfolio choice issue. If 193 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:51,320 Speaker 1: this is another risky asset, what do you do? You 194 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:57,559 Speaker 1: hike interest rates, right, you make the alternative more preferable. 195 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: You should be able to solve your problem. Right, But 196 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 1: that does not work in in the case of Turkey. 197 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: Whenever you hike interest rates, if other uncertainties are still their, 198 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:15,719 Speaker 1: households do not just go ahead and buy lira. They 199 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: hold onto their dollars, and they buy even more if 200 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: the uncertainty is extreme. And another issue is if there 201 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:29,559 Speaker 1: is saying momentum in the US the Lira exchange eight, 202 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: you see households buying more. That is typical for the 203 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: case of a put option. But if it was a 204 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: simple sort of portfolio choice. There is a chance you 205 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 1: might observe that, but it should not be this predictable. 206 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 1: So I think one major difference is let me give 207 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: you an example. Let's say Tesla wants to know dissuade 208 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:58,439 Speaker 1: put option buyers and it's stock from buying put options, 209 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: and to do that, fits increased it's dividends. Would it work? 210 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 1: I think not, because the put option is a tail 211 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: event hedge and increasing dividends does nothing to that. I mean, 212 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: it would weaken Tesla's balantie it would it would, yes, 213 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: I mean that was one of the things that happened 214 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: in Turkey as well. They would do nothing to Tesla 215 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: put buyers. So if you want folks from you, if 216 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: you want to prevent folks on buying Tesla puts, you 217 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: have to somehow replicate that payoff structure or remove on 218 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: certainty completely. But removing on certainty completely means you can't 219 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: grow either, and I'm not sure if that's something you want. 220 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: I mean, providing a stock that is completely you know, 221 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: treading with a fixed price would solve that issue, But 222 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 1: would you want that? I think not. So I think 223 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: that's that That's a good example of what we're dealing 224 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: with here we where we go on. I just wanna 225 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: clarify this because I think this is important to understanding 226 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: your argument. So in a typical sort of like portfolio channel, 227 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,960 Speaker 1: you're like raise the interest rate and that creates some 228 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: sort of like marginal incentive to hold lira. But if 229 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: people are holding dollars as a tail risk hedge, then 230 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: it really doesn't solve the problem. Can you just explain 231 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: a little bit further this idea, the tail risk hedge 232 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: against what And you sort of mentioned the premature opening 233 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: of the capital account in the late eighties, But what 234 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 1: is the impulse to hold such a strong um tail 235 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: risk hedge and how is this not previously appreciated by policy? 236 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: This is the dynamic of that previously appreciated by policymakers. 237 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: Let me describe what happened when they tried to hide 238 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 1: rates to solve this issue. And for a while it 239 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: looked like they solved this issue. After the two thousand 240 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: and one crisis in Turkey, there was this im stirchial 241 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: program and you know the primary objective of that program, 242 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: it was to decrease inflation, you know, control inflation, and 243 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: to do that you have to provide some sort of 244 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: currency stability, and one of the major roadblocks in front 245 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: of that was dollarization. And it did something else as well. 246 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: It dollarization weakens the monetary transmission mechanisms. So you're they 247 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:30,119 Speaker 1: hired the dollarization your montree policy works, you know, whereas 248 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: hiking the interest rates a lot, providing a huge amount 249 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: of real interest rate to savers should have done the trick, 250 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: and for a while it did. I mean, after the 251 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: two thousand and one crisis, at the dollarization rates in 252 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 1: Turkey was around sixty percents and in two thousand and 253 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: twelve it was down to so it seemed like it 254 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: resolved issue, right. It didn't. It created a huge and 255 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: various structural issues the Turkish economy is still dealing with today. 256 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: One of the things that it did it was, you know, 257 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: by the way, for about ten years, Turkish economy offered 258 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: twenty points of real interest ring. It is prohibitively expensive. 259 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: That that's why I said, you know, fixing the price 260 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: of Tesla indefinitely would solve the issue of put buyers. 261 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: That that's pretty much what happened. It was so expensive 262 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: that it removed almost all volatility, so it did not 263 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: make sense statically, not dynamically to whole dollars, so it 264 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 1: decreased tolarization, but it also created another issue. And for 265 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: us to understand what, you know, how this issue emerged, 266 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: I'm going to have to talk about the incentive structure 267 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: of the economy. So the policymaker would want the economy 268 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: to grow, right, because that's how you create jobs, and 269 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: if you create jobs, you get reelected. And for you 270 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: to grow the economy, there two things you can do, 271 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 1: you know, on an accounting identity based basis, you can 272 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:10,199 Speaker 1: either increase liabilities or you can increase equity. And you can, 273 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:14,120 Speaker 1: in the Turkish case, you can increase liabilities in Turkish 274 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: lira or some other foreign currency. And if you want 275 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 1: to do this, if you want to grow sustainably, you preferably, 276 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 1: you know, want to do this in Turkish later because 277 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: you are not able to print the foreign currency. But 278 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,399 Speaker 1: let's say a bank issued a new loan denominating in 279 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 1: Turkish lira. If this was a closed economy, completely closed, 280 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,919 Speaker 1: no exports, no importonal capital flows, there's and there's a 281 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: single bank, no no reserve requirements or some sort. If 282 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,679 Speaker 1: there is one lira of loan issued, you have to 283 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:52,400 Speaker 1: have one lira of deposits. Right, it's it's it's an identity. 284 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: There's no way there's money could escape, so there is 285 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 1: no chance of a bank run apart from the you know, 286 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,160 Speaker 1: uh sure to risk here something like that. So fractional 287 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: reserve banking this is not you have complete matching events 288 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,679 Speaker 1: is liability in currency. The problem is there might be 289 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: some bleeds in the structure. So let's see you issue 290 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: it a loan. It might turn into dollar deposits by households. 291 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,719 Speaker 1: It might go to dividend and net dividend and interest 292 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 1: rate payments abroad. It might pay for your imports. You 293 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: might get influence from exports. This adds too, there's this 294 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: issue for capabling flows and out flows. And I include 295 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: f d iron here as well. So if you notice 296 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: what I described, the last four or five components of 297 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: this equation is precisely the balance of payments equation. So 298 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: that means if you issue a little loan and you 299 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: burn reserves, you will have fewer lit deposits than you 300 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:00,639 Speaker 1: have little loans. And there are three bonus of this 301 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: bouncier payments equation, and in d M there are only two. 302 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: That matters. You have foreign capital inflows and outflows, and 303 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: you have imports and exports. In the Turkish case, there's 304 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: a crucial third component that is dollarization. I'm going to 305 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: explain how these two are impossible to balance. At the 306 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: same time. Some folks are calling this the fear of floating. 307 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: I think, I mean they're presenting it as a choice. 308 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: I'm arguing that this is not a choice. This is 309 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: simply a result of this structure. If you have this structure, 310 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: you have no other choice, then you know, go for 311 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: fear of fear of floating. So let's say you want 312 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: to solve the issue of dollarization, and to do that, 313 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,439 Speaker 1: if you want to go the way of fiking interest 314 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: rates like Turkey did in two thousand and twelve, you 315 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: have to increase it by a lot, untoven twenty points 316 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: of real interest rates. When you do that, currency stabilizes, 317 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: so that that's that's good, all right. Foreign capital probably 318 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: flows in because you're paying a huge amount of money 319 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: for them to do that, but your exports and imports 320 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: are not going to match because you now made your 321 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: exports hugely expensive for others and imports hugely cheap for 322 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,639 Speaker 1: your own consumers. So if you try to solve with 323 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,879 Speaker 1: dollarization by congrades, you'll have earrant account issues. If you 324 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: try to solve euarant account issues, you know, by devaluing 325 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: your currency, then you'll have dollarization issues and form capital 326 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: netflorm capital issues. Capital will flow out because there's momentum, 327 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: and instability breeds instability. There will be dollarization. If you 328 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: want to solve form capital and flow out flow issues 329 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 1: with let's say you hide interest rates again, you will 330 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: have the problem with Guarentt account. What I'm trying to 331 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,479 Speaker 1: say is if you want to take the structure given 332 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: and acts as among Montrey policy maker, there is no 333 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: way you can do policy growth policy based on lyra. 334 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: If you want to solve dollarization, you can't grow by 335 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: issuing lira loans. Issuing lieral LANs with the structured will 336 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: breed instability. So what did the Turkish policy makers do 337 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: to grow? They took the structure as given an act 338 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: in accordance with that, so they preferred foreign capital. If 339 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: you can't issue lira loans, you can get lira sorry, 340 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,479 Speaker 1: foreign currency loans from abroad and invests in consume with that. 341 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: And that's precisely what happened, and Turkey was able to 342 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: grow on average seven percent every year in the first 343 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: five six years of that period after the two thousand 344 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 1: and one prices. The problem is, this only works when 345 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,160 Speaker 1: the global USD cycle works in your favor, and it 346 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 1: did work in Turkey's favor at the time. There was 347 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: this lot of us D liquidity and that kept on 348 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: going until the taper tension of two thousand and twelve. 349 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: And that was the reckoning because until that moment, everybody 350 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: was praising the Turkish economy. You know, Montree policy is independent, 351 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 1: but they are still able to grow and they solve 352 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: the issue of dollarization and there is no inflation. This 353 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: is a successful economy, they were saying, and it did 354 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: look that way. The problem is, once that global USD 355 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: cycle reckoning came, this old structure king trumbling down because 356 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: now you can't get effects loans from abroad as well, 357 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,920 Speaker 1: you have a huge issue with form capital flows and 358 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 1: because of this structure, you are not able to grow 359 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: by issuing literal loans in a sustainable manner or either. 360 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: So after that point you started to see Mr President 361 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:58,120 Speaker 1: getting more anxious, getting more restless about the Montree policy. 362 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:00,919 Speaker 1: That's why I in the beginning said I you know 363 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,680 Speaker 1: look at incentives. I do not I tried to analyze 364 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: incentive because it is completely a result of the incented structure. 365 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: So can I just jump in here? And so just 366 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: to recap, so Turkey has the stollarization problem. It's difficult 367 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: for it to adjust interest rates in the way it 368 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: needs to without causing some sort of current account issue. 369 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: And that wasn't a problem for a while, but then 370 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 1: we had the Taper tantrum and we had a retreat 371 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: of dollar liquidity, and suddenly this issue of dollarization really 372 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 1: comes to the four Could you maybe walk us through 373 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: what exactly are Dowan announced this week when it comes 374 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,879 Speaker 1: to the new um effex mechanism, this new program to 375 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: try to halt the slide in the lira, and how 376 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: it anticipates trying to solve that problem of using the 377 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: dollar as a tail risk hedge as you described. I mean, 378 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: the most popular press covered this ethics deposit instrument the most, 379 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: but there were two other things in there as well. 380 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: The main piece in that package was an instrument that 381 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 1: completely replicates the payoff structure that tailhage. So if you 382 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: deposit your money and through this new instrument and the 383 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: US de lira exchange rates does not depreciate more than 384 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: the prevailing central bank interest rate, you're gonna receive the 385 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: central bank interest rate. But if it literally depreciates more 386 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,199 Speaker 1: than that interest rates, you're going to be paid for that. 387 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: So if literally depreciates eight and the interest rate prevailing 388 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: interest rate is fourteen percent, either the Treasury or the 389 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 1: CBRT will cover your air quotes loss. There as I 390 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: said it, it is a free call option on US 391 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 1: de leer exchange. If you are getting into this instrument 392 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 1: from your usc deposit accounts, you're going to be dealing 393 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: with cb r T and CBRT will be covering your loss. 394 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:20,479 Speaker 1: And if you have already a lirac condition you put 395 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 1: your liric account money to into this new instrument, you're 396 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: going to be dealing with the Treasury and they will 397 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:30,200 Speaker 1: be covering the losses. And why did they do this 398 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 1: Probably because you know, if it's already a USD deposit, 399 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: dealing with the CBRT directly is easier. It becomes a 400 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: CBRT reserve dat amounts. And if you have a Lira accounts, 401 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 1: dealing with the Treasury is easier because you know there's 402 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: nothing for the central thing to do, and it is 403 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,959 Speaker 1: some sort of a risk sharing program because if you know, 404 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,120 Speaker 1: half of the new money into this instrument comes from 405 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 1: already US accounts and the risk comes from Turkish there accounts, 406 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,680 Speaker 1: the treasury will not be assuming that much risk, which 407 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: was the main discussion point in the press. I guess 408 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: one of the things that people wonder is like, well, 409 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: doesn't this just put pressure on the fiscal balance, taking 410 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: it off the central banks balance shade, putting out on 411 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,119 Speaker 1: the fiscal balance. We've seen Turkish credit default swaps rise 412 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 1: in recent days. Perhaps why does this actually fundamentally change 413 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: anything rather than just as you put it, um, you know, 414 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,400 Speaker 1: shift risk away from the central bank to the treasury. 415 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 1: Joey's it works. It actually decreases I think will decrease 416 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: the CDs premiums because it transforms balance of payments issue 417 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 1: to a fiscal issue, and that fiscal issue is completely 418 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: denominated in Turkish lyrists. It is something you can print 419 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: and it should degrees risk in your foreign currency of liabilities. 420 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,439 Speaker 1: And did it? This is the direct interpretation. If you 421 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: use the framework, if you somehow solve the dollarization issue, 422 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,800 Speaker 1: if you if you're able to create this kitchen sync 423 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:32,439 Speaker 1: so whenever you issue new lera loans, you do you 424 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 1: do not have to deal with the dollarization pressure. It 425 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: will be the first time in I said this in 426 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: the beginning, but it will be the first time in 427 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: Turkish history that the growth goal of the policy maker 428 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: and the price stability goal of the central bank are 429 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: not going to be in direct contradiction. So that is 430 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,080 Speaker 1: why I think it it is hugely risk positive. So 431 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: in other words, it sounds like basically what you're saying, 432 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: if I could just sort of essentially, this creates a 433 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: way for Turkish household to have a tail risk hedge 434 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: that doesn't involve automatically buying dollars, Yes, yes, that is yes. 435 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: So can I just ask just on the fiscal question 436 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: and whether or not this is going to impact Turkey's 437 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: balance sheet, which has been you know, one of the 438 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: bright spots of the Turkish economy recently. So one of 439 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: the perhaps unfair things about the way the world currently 440 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: works is that foreign investors do have an enormous amount 441 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: of power on emerging market economies in particular, and this 442 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: is you know, part of the problem of what's happened 443 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: in Turkey is that we have bond vigilantes or inflation 444 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: vigilantes who have gotten nervous about what's happening there and 445 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: have you know, put additional pressure on the currency. So 446 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: I guess my question is how is Turkey going to 447 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: at foreign investors on side for a new currency stability 448 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: mechanism that people are unfamiliar with and which on the 449 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: surface looks like it's going to diminish the country's fiscal 450 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: ability or fiscal strength. I think they're basically three scenarios. First, 451 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: if the take up rate of this new instrument is low, 452 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 1: that means the treasury is not assuming that much risk 453 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: that will be did you boy? I guess if the 454 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 1: take up rate is high because of the current stock 455 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: of foreign investment Disturkey, which which is extremely low, especially 456 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:46,120 Speaker 1: in bonds, it is almost non existent, and they I 457 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: mean foreigners can almost completely lift the swaps as well. 458 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: There is some amount of investment iniquities, but that is 459 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: for some reason rather stable. I mean that lived through 460 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,719 Speaker 1: any type of crisis we had in the last four 461 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: or five years in looting the twenty eighteen prices. So 462 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: if you assume that equity stock, who is going to 463 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: be stable going forward? I don't think foreign investors matter 464 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: that much. So that leaves dollarization and current accounts as 465 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: the determinants of reserves. Then the exchange yates. So if 466 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: you if the take up rate is high and currently 467 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: the Church economy is having current account surpluses, and our 468 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: internal analyses show that for their first time in September, 469 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: as far as I remember, Turkey had a seasonally adjusted 470 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: current account surplus. This is especially positive because Turkey is 471 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: a huge commodity importer and despite the global commodity prices 472 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: sky racting, Turkey is able to have current count surpluses, 473 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 1: so that's good. That leaves the dollarization and if the 474 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 1: take up rate is high here, that's that means the 475 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: totalization issue is getting resolved. In that case you will 476 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: not have ANFX pressure, so the treasury you will not 477 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 1: have much to deal with there either. So the last 478 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: case is some exogenous shock that is unpredictable. Can it happen? 479 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: It can, but I don't think this mechanism increasing the 480 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: you know, pressure on the treasury and increasing the risk 481 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: there is a very assessment based on the base cases. 482 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: You know, the world is an interesting place. Some incredible 483 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: thing might happen, but it's not my base case, let's 484 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,320 Speaker 1: phrase it like that. Can you just expect real quickly? 485 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:48,520 Speaker 1: You mentioned Turkey as a commodity importer. Uh, commodities are 486 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 1: very high. Howard's current Howard Turkey currently running a current account. Surplus. 487 00:32:54,800 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: Services are induced surplus, mainly tourism. And you know, one 488 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 1: good thing about Turkish tourism is it it's elasticity to 489 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 1: the real effective exchange. It is pretty high. So when 490 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: you depreciate your currency, you get more bank for your 491 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 1: buck than what you have in the good side. So 492 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: that is a huge positive. And if COVID is you know, 493 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: if coal is not going to be a huge issue 494 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,640 Speaker 1: in the near future, which I think it will not be, 495 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: but you know, that's a debate. Turkey will keep giving 496 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:37,040 Speaker 1: current account of surpluses. One risk is, yeah, imports are 497 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,520 Speaker 1: way higher because of the community prices, but exports are 498 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:43,360 Speaker 1: higher as well because the global economy was staging an 499 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 1: impressive recovery. If some have the global central bank moves 500 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: decrease that, you know, hurt that recovery more than they 501 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 1: decrease communty prices. Turkey might have some issues, but again 502 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 1: that's not my space out there or anything. Come on, 503 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: two prices are much more susceptible to the USD cycle 504 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 1: than global growth. So I'm overall optimistic about the future 505 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,960 Speaker 1: curan ticun of situation in Turkey. I guess my next 506 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 1: question is when would we expect to see or would 507 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: we expect to see published take up figures for the 508 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:28,359 Speaker 1: new m X plan. And then secondly, what are you 509 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: watching in order to see whether or not it's working? 510 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: And I realized, you know, watching the lira would be 511 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: the obvious thing to do. But are you looking at 512 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,440 Speaker 1: the take up figures or I don't know, maybe pressure 513 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: on Turkey's foreign reserves or something like that to see 514 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:52,920 Speaker 1: whether or not, uh, this is actually pressuring Turkey's fiscal position. Well, 515 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,239 Speaker 1: there's one main thing I'm looking at. I mean, the 516 00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 1: equation I talked about is more or less than identity. 517 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,719 Speaker 1: So I look at the difference between new literal loan 518 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: shoeings minus the new deposits in Neurope. So if that 519 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:15,919 Speaker 1: is not a huge number, that means things are going well, 520 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,880 Speaker 1: we are not burning that much you know that many reserves. 521 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 1: If that number is giving negative signals, that means dollarization, shoot, 522 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: dollalization pressure is still there despite the current accome surplus, 523 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: so that might be alarming, and I'm going to keep 524 00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:37,840 Speaker 1: watching that number going forward. You know, it's interesting because 525 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 1: earlier Tracy asked about what it would take to sort 526 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,680 Speaker 1: of get foreign capital on side. But to my you know, 527 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: like the question that I'm sort of wondering about is 528 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,279 Speaker 1: this sort of like I guess, the domestic take up. 529 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,000 Speaker 1: I mean, basically what Tracy just asked, this domestic take up? 530 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,440 Speaker 1: How much understanding does there have to be and how 531 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 1: much convincing from this sort of government, from banks to 532 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:06,799 Speaker 1: retail depositors, to the public to the depositors about how 533 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 1: these new mechanisms will work, and how does the how 534 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:13,680 Speaker 1: do the banks and government establish credibility that this uh 535 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: you know, this free put or this free dollar lyric 536 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: call option that they're being offered is actually going to 537 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 1: be given to them? How is there a credibility risk 538 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:27,799 Speaker 1: on that side after such a hugely mulatile period, there 539 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:32,240 Speaker 1: is a risk of credibility deficit. The fiscal positive position 540 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,799 Speaker 1: of Turkey is you know, I mean, it's Tracy put 541 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:40,719 Speaker 1: it one of his biggest strengths. So that argument and 542 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:45,319 Speaker 1: the basic structure of the new instrument should suffice. It 543 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:49,959 Speaker 1: is almost a no brainer. Excuse my language, but you're 544 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: being offered lira interest rates on effects deposits. Basically, effects 545 00:36:55,760 --> 00:37:02,160 Speaker 1: deposits currently pay like one and lira pays around and 546 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: you are hasty against any upside in U S delera exchange, 547 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: and so it is a complete no brainer. I think 548 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:17,279 Speaker 1: people will want to see, you know, their friends or 549 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: and family who got into this instrument getting paid first, 550 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 1: and after that, I think the take up rate will increase. 551 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:30,400 Speaker 1: By the way, the Treasury Ministry today announced that, uh, 552 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: there was you know, about ten billion lyrists up until 553 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 1: now that got in to this new instrument. I don't 554 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: know if they're gonna regularly publish the figures about this, 555 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 1: but you know, we have this state at this moment. 556 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:50,840 Speaker 1: You know, one question I have. It seems to me, 557 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: and I don't know if this is if I'm thinking 558 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,840 Speaker 1: about this exactly right, but it seems to me that 559 00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:00,400 Speaker 1: it's one of these things where if it works, it 560 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,720 Speaker 1: will in theory wouldn't even be necessary. So you offer 561 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: these special effects hedged accounts. Basically some people have described 562 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,800 Speaker 1: them as like tips meat c d s and obviously, 563 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,360 Speaker 1: as you put it, a three dollarlier call option. But 564 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:17,880 Speaker 1: it seems to me that the in theory, if it works, 565 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,840 Speaker 1: you don't actually need people to transfer the money into 566 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:26,080 Speaker 1: these accounts because the existence of these accounts is essentially 567 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:28,560 Speaker 1: stemmed the sell off. Is that a sort of like 568 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,480 Speaker 1: fair characterization or is that something that victory would look like? 569 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:39,759 Speaker 1: That is a completely fair characterization, and it is basically 570 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: how it went in other countries that applied similar schemes, 571 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,200 Speaker 1: like Brazil and Israel. There's a lot of talk about, 572 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,000 Speaker 1: you know, what tricky is doing, has tried before and 573 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: it failed, things like that. You know, I'd like to 574 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:58,719 Speaker 1: address that because there's a crucial difference. That's why I 575 00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: think they diagnosed a proba right, because this is strictly 576 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:07,360 Speaker 1: limited to real people. This excludes corporates, this exclude foreigners. 577 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: Because there were some schemes in Argentina, there was some 578 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 1: there was one in Turkey's past and like seventies or 579 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:21,000 Speaker 1: something that targeted folks living abroad, and that is a 580 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: short fire way of creating a balance of payments issue 581 00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:28,880 Speaker 1: because if her target group has a balance sheet denominated 582 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 1: in a foreign currency, anytime they want to take their 583 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: money out, you're gonna have issues with your reserves. But 584 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:41,280 Speaker 1: because This is just you know, exclusively for local folks 585 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:46,319 Speaker 1: who consume goods in Turkish lyra, and you know they 586 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:49,640 Speaker 1: care about the Turkish lyra. They do not care about there. 587 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,879 Speaker 1: They do not have a foreign currency denominated balance sheet. 588 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,839 Speaker 1: That is why I think they got it right, and 589 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 1: that is why I think this has a chance of working. 590 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: Because wherever it work, like in Brazil and Israel, this 591 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:05,719 Speaker 1: is why it worked. They did not target foreigners. They 592 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:09,160 Speaker 1: targeted to locals. They tried to solve dollarization. They did 593 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,239 Speaker 1: not want to attract form in flows because if you 594 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:15,359 Speaker 1: want to attract formnin flows sustainably, this is a bad 595 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,799 Speaker 1: way of doing that. If you want to solve dollarization. 596 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:23,880 Speaker 1: Just this word. Thank you so much that I genuinely 597 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: learned a lot from that conversation. Thank you for having me. 598 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,360 Speaker 1: But yeah, that was great. Thanks, that was really interesting. 599 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 1: I felt that extremely helpful. It's pretty complicated, obviously, and 600 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,919 Speaker 1: you know when sometimes in all these conversations my head 601 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 1: can hurt thinking about you know, the capital account, the 602 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:57,800 Speaker 1: current account and all this. But this idea of understanding 603 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:00,759 Speaker 1: that understanding this new scheme is like you know, a 604 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:05,160 Speaker 1: tail risk hedge. Very interesting and very definitely helped me 605 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:09,320 Speaker 1: understand the situation better. Yeah. Also your question about um 606 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:12,879 Speaker 1: sort of the less people use it, the more it 607 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 1: might work. That kind of reminded me of the FEDS 608 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:20,720 Speaker 1: corporate bond buying program from last year, where it actually 609 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:24,160 Speaker 1: didn't end up buying that many corporate bonds because it 610 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 1: didn't need to. Just the promise of coming in and 611 00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:30,400 Speaker 1: stabilizing the market had the effect of stabilizing the market. 612 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,440 Speaker 1: But that said, it's clearly a big bet on people 613 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:39,279 Speaker 1: actually believing in this mechanism, right, and if it goes 614 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 1: the other way, if there's a massive take up and uh, 615 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:46,720 Speaker 1: you know, the Turkish government ends up having to monetize 616 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,719 Speaker 1: it's funding for that, then then you could see it 617 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: being a problem. This is exactly right, And I think 618 00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:56,080 Speaker 1: you know, if you think about first of all, you 619 00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:59,279 Speaker 1: mentioned the corporate bond buying program, also the municipal bond 620 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:03,319 Speaker 1: buying program would also put m the o MT in 621 00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:07,239 Speaker 1: the Euro Area crisis, very similar thing. This idea of 622 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:10,000 Speaker 1: like if you make a credible enough promise, you actually 623 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:11,840 Speaker 1: never have to spend any money is sort of like 624 00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:14,880 Speaker 1: one of these core like ideas in uh, sort of 625 00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:17,840 Speaker 1: like central banking, and it's like this too. It's like, Okay, 626 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:22,080 Speaker 1: we credibly promised to compensate you if the lyric plunges, 627 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:24,800 Speaker 1: so hold your money and lira. And if the promise 628 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:27,160 Speaker 1: is credible and everyone holds their money and lira, then 629 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:29,239 Speaker 1: you don't have the problem of the lyric plunging and 630 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:31,880 Speaker 1: you solve the dollarization problem, which could be huge. So 631 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:35,000 Speaker 1: that's like a really interesting way that was really helpful 632 00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:36,839 Speaker 1: to think about it. But as you said just now, 633 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,040 Speaker 1: like it is a really big bet because the fear, 634 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:42,799 Speaker 1: it seems to me, would be you have a significant 635 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,279 Speaker 1: portion of the population taken up essentially like take up 636 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:49,120 Speaker 1: this insurance, but then you also have a significant portion 637 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: of the population who like if they continue to dollarize 638 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: in the lira, uh continue where to continue to plunge, 639 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,120 Speaker 1: and then the government is on the hook for this 640 00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:01,880 Speaker 1: big put option that it's given everyone or a call option. However, 641 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:04,320 Speaker 1: depending on which side of the pea trade you're talking about, 642 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:07,400 Speaker 1: then you could see it being like a very costly 643 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:12,239 Speaker 1: bed from the fiscal perspective totally. And I know you 644 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:15,279 Speaker 1: and I have both spoken about this already, but it 645 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:21,440 Speaker 1: is a little bit reminiscent of certain cryptocurrencies that tell 646 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:24,960 Speaker 1: everyone to you know, hoddle or if everyone just holds 647 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:28,680 Speaker 1: on and never sells, everyone is going to benefit. There 648 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:31,000 Speaker 1: is a threat of that in there. They're definitely there's gay. 649 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:33,560 Speaker 1: It's gay. I mean it's exactly right because like the 650 00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:36,160 Speaker 1: sort of like the game theory of crypto, it's like 651 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:38,240 Speaker 1: we all go to the one side of the payoff matrix, 652 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:40,200 Speaker 1: we all win. It does feel like there is like 653 00:43:40,239 --> 00:43:42,879 Speaker 1: an element of game theory, and it really is going 654 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:46,640 Speaker 1: to seem does the government have the credibility to get 655 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:49,719 Speaker 1: everyone into this one corner of the matrix or enough 656 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:52,400 Speaker 1: people that it stems the decline? But look like it 657 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:55,840 Speaker 1: was a huge rally in the era when they announced that, 658 00:43:56,000 --> 00:44:01,319 Speaker 1: and so there is obviously litla point out some sort 659 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:06,160 Speaker 1: of like wow this potentially it could be a game changer. Yeah, um, 660 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:08,759 Speaker 1: it's working so far, but obviously we'll have to keep 661 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:11,799 Speaker 1: an eye on it. Yeah, alright, shall we leave it there, 662 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:15,520 Speaker 1: Let's leave it there. Okay. This has been another episode 663 00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:18,120 Speaker 1: of the All Thoughts Podcast. I'm Tracy Alloway. You can 664 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,319 Speaker 1: follow me on Twitter at Tracy Alloway and I'm Joe 665 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:23,879 Speaker 1: wi Isn't Thal. You can follow me on Twitter at 666 00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:27,759 Speaker 1: the Stalwart. Follow our producer on Twitter, Laura Carlson. She's 667 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:31,120 Speaker 1: at Laura M. Carlson. Followed the Bloomberg head of podcast 668 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:34,800 Speaker 1: Francesca Levi at Francesca Today and check out all of 669 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:38,880 Speaker 1: our podcasts at Bloomberg under the handle at podcasts. Thanks 670 00:44:38,920 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: for listening year