Report
Patrick Artus

What happens in countries that cannot specialise in industry?

Some countries (for example France, Spain, Italy, India, Turkey and Brazil) do not have any positive comparative advantages for having a large-scale industry: they are suffering from either a low skill level or weak capital modernisation or a low level of savings. So what happens in countries where the size of industry is too small? In the short term, these countries have a significant external deficit; But in the long term, they have to eliminate their external deficit, leading to: Either a depreciation of their exchange rates (India, Turkey); Or a reduction in wages (to reduce domestic demand and also to improve cost competitiveness, as in Spain); Or a rise in interest rates (to reduce domestic demand, as in Italy). A macroeconomic adjustment is therefore inevitable in countries where manufacturing industry is too small because of productive specialisation.
Provider
Natixis
Natixis

Based across the world’s leading financial centers, Natixis CIB Research offers an integrated view of the markets. The team provides support to inform Natixis clients’ investment and hedging decisions across all asset classes.

 

Analysts
Patrick Artus

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