Production State-Dependent Non-Linear Behavior of Exchange Rate Pass-Through in Iran

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of non-linear behavior of exchange rate pass-through in the states of boom and recession in Iran. To the best of our knowledge, this issue has not studied for Iran. To this end, using monthly data for the period of 2002:4-2017:3, we estimate a structural threshold vector autoregressive (STVAR) model. Our endogenous variables include exchange rate, import price index, producer price index, consumer price index, industrial production index, and the interest rate. The results show that an increase in exchange rate has positive impacts on import price, producer price and consumer price indices. The impulse-response functions indicate that the reactions of the import price, the producer price and the consumer price to exchange rate shock are higher in the boom than that in the recession. Hence, our finding confirms the non-linear behavior of the exchange rate pass-through in Iran. Moreover, the degree of exchange rate pass-through in Iran is incomplete. The results show that the policymaker should take into consideration the importance of non-linear behavior of exchange rate pass-through when conducting an exchange rate policy in Iran.