Construction and the Great Recession

The boom in real estate prices during the early 2000s and the subsequent bust were key factors underlying the recessions in the United States and Europe.Financial crises ; Recessions ; Housing - Prices

The Information Technology Revolution and the Puzzling Trends in Tobin’s average q

A growing literature argues that the Information Technology rev- olution caused the stock market crash of 1973-1974, its subsequent stagnation and eventual recovery. This paper employs general equi- librium theory to test whether this good news hypothesis is consistent with the behavior of US equity prices and with the trends in corpo- rate output, investment and consumption. I …nd it is not. A model based exclusively on good news can make equity prices fall as much as in the data but it must also imply a strong economic expansion right when the US economy stagnated. However, when the observed productivity slowdown in old production methods is incorporated into the model consistency with major macroeconomic aggregates can be achieved and a 20% drop in equity values can be accounted for. (JEL E44, O33, O41)Information Technology Revolution, Stock Market, Productivity Slowdown, Tobin's q, 1974, Crash

The Information Technology Revolution and the Puzzling Trends in Tobin’s average q

A growing literature argues that the Information Technology rev- olution caused the stock market crash of 1973-1974, its subsequent stagnation and eventual recovery. This paper employs general equi- librium theory to test whether this good news hypothesis is consistent with the behavior of US equity prices and with the trends in corpo- rate output, investment and consumption. I …nd it is not. A model based exclusively on good news can make equity prices fall as much as in the data but it must also imply a strong economic expansion right when the US economy stagnated. However, when the observed productivity slowdown in old production methods is incorporated into the model consistency with major macroeconomic aggregates can be achieved and a 20% drop in equity values can be accounted for. (JEL E44, O33, O41)Stock Market, Tobin's q Technological Change, Productivity Slowdown 1974, Information Technology Revolution

Households during the Great Recession: the financial accelerator in action?

Households are the sector that the financial accelerator appears to have hit hardest, according to the data.Households ; Recessions

Searching for the financial accelerator: how credit affects the business cycle

Firms started repaying their debts during 2008-2009, and they did so while simultaneously accumulating highly liquid assets. These two observations are puzzling if one believes firms are purportedly starving for credit but cannot obtain it.Credit ; Business cycles

Jobless recoveries or jobless growth?

Jobless recoveries since 2000 may be attributed to a slowdown in the long-term employment trend.Unemployment ; Employment ; Labor market

Oil Crisis, Energy-Saving Technological Change and the Stock Market Crash of 1973-74

The market value of U.S. corporations was nearly halved following the Oil Crisis of October 1973. Real energy prices more than doubled by the end of the decade, increasing energy costs and spurring innovation in energy-saving technologies by corporations. This paper uses a neo- classical growth model to quantify the impact of the increase in energy prices on the market value of U.S. corporations. In the model, corporations adopt energy-saving technologies as a response to the energy price shock and the price of installed capital falls due to investment irreversibility. The model calibrated to match the subsequent decline in energy consumption in the U.S. generates a 25% decline in market valuation; accounting for more than half of what is observed in the data.Energy Saving Technological Change, Stock Market Collapse 1974 Tobin's q, Induced innovation

Oil crisis, energy-saving technological change and the stock market crash of 1973-74

The market value of U.S. corporations was nearly halved following the oil crisis of October 1973. Real energy prices more than doubled by the end of the decade, increasing energy costs and spurring innovation in energy-saving technologies by corporations. This paper uses a neo-classical growth model to quantify the impact of the increase in energy prices on the market value of U.S. corporations. In the model, corporations adopt energy-saving technologies as a response to the energy price shock and the price of installed capital falls due to investment irreversibility. The model calibrated to match the subsequent decline in energy consumption in the U.S. generates a 24% decline in market valuation - accounting for nearly half of what is observed in the data.Stock market ; Petroleum industry and trade

Oil Crisis, Energy-Saving Technological Change and the Stock Market Crash of 1973-74

The market value of U.S. corporations was nearly halved following the oil crisis of October 1973. Real energy prices more than doubled by the end of the decade, increasing energy costs and spurring innovation in energy-saving technologies by corporations. This paper uses a neo-classical growth model to quantify the impact of the increase in energy prices on the market value of U.S. corporations. In the model, corporations adopt energy-saving technologies as a response to the energy price shock and the price of installed capital falls due to investment irreversibility. The model calibrated to match the subsequent decline in energy consumption in the U.S. generates a 24% decline in market valuation - accounting for nearly half of what is observed in the data.oil crisis, stock market crash, technological change