What leads some countries to experience larger decreases in foreign flows during low-flow episodes? Evidence from international portfolio flows

Abstract

This paper investigates the drivers explaining the heterogeneous responses of foreign portfolio investors across 43 emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) during low-flow episodes. Our investigations reveal several findings: (a) During low-flow episodes, EMDEs with stronger macroeconomic/institutional fundamentals—e.g., larger foreign reserves, less public indebtedness, and better institutional quality—suffer fewer reductions in foreign inflows. (b) EMDEs with more open/developed financial markets attract more portfolio inflows during surges but suffer larger declines during stops. Hence, we provide evidence supporting the foreign investor differentiation (according to fundamentals) and the mixed blessing of financial sectors hypothesis.