Get the CANSIM monthly data from the earliest possible period (this may differ by series) to 2012 (latest available month) for the following: CAN-US x-rate (V37426), Can-UK x-rate (V37430), the Can-Japan x-rate (V37456), and the Can-Euro x-rate (V21570998).
a. Present a time series plot of these series and comment on its long run movement. Note that the dollar value of a Yen is quite low and may not show up in this first attempt at drawing the chart. The remedy in this case, is to draw a secondary y-axis for that series only. If you are unsure as to how to do this, do a Google search with key words SECONDARY AXIS IN EXCEL.
b. Calculate the mean and standard deviation as well as the maximum and minimum values for each series over the sample period. What is the standard deviation attempting to measure in this case?
c. Which were the best and worst decades in terms of x-rate volatility? To answer this question, calculate the standard deviations for each available decade (e.g., the 50s, the 60s, etc.) and present your results in a table.
d. Can you recognize from the graph the period for which Canada was on affixed x-rate regime with the US dollar and the UK pound? What was this period?