In this study, we apply the Panel Stationary test with both sharp and smooth breaks to test the validity of long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) for 20 African countries using quarterly data over the period 1971I–2012IV. Empirical results of Panel stationary tests with both sharp and smooth breaks indicate that PPP holds true for 10 out of these 20 African countries (i.e., Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo) studied.

Devaluation or depreciation of a currency worsens the trade balance before improving it, resulting in a J-curve pattern. A new definition of the hypothesis implies a short-run deterioration combined with the long-run improvement. By using monthly data over the January 1990–June 2005 period from 11 east European emerging economies, most of which are the new European Union (EU) members or the EU candidate countries, this article uses the bounds testing approach to cointegration and error-correction modelling and finds empirical support for the J-curve hypothesis in three countries of Bulgaria, Croatia and Russia. The results have important implications for policymakers involved in economics in terms of using exchange rate policy as a policy device to achieve real convergence toward EU standards.