FOREIGN-EXCHANGE MARKET REACTION TO THE UNITED-STATES CANADA FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT

In this paper we investigate the effect of news about the advent of the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar. We find evidence that information flows related to the likelihood of the FTA influenced the volatility of the daily spot rate. In particular, information that increased the likelihood of the FTA subsequently diminished exchange rate volatility. In contrast, information that decreased the likelihood of the FTA subsequently increased exchange rate volatility.