Growth expectations and asset prices in production economies and labor market matching models

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Long-Run Risk through Consumption Smoothing

We examine how long-run consumption risk arises endogenously in a standard production economy model where the representative agent has Epstein--Zin preferences. We show that even when technology growth is i.i.d., optimal consumption smoothing induces long-run risk--highly persistent variation in expected consumption growth. As a consequence, the model can account for a high price of risk, although both consumption growth volatility and the coefficient of relative risk aversion are low. The asset pricing implications of endogenous long-run risk depend crucially on the persistence of technology shocks and investors' preference for the timing of resolution of uncertainty. (JEL�E21, E23, E30, G12) The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: [email protected]., Oxford University Press.

Growth Expectations and Business Cycles

labor matching market;

Anticipated Growth and Business Cycles in Matching Models

Positive news about future productivity growth causes a contraction in most neoclassical business cycle models, which is counterfactual. We show that a business cycle model that incorporates the standard matching framework can generate an expansion. Although the wealth effect of an increase in expected productivity induces workers to reduce their labour supply, the matching friction has the opposite effect leaving labour supply roughly unaffected. Employment increases because the matching friction also induces firms to post more vacancies. This translates into additional resources, which makes it possible for both consumption and investment to increase in response to positive news about future productivity growth before the actual increase in productivity materializes.labour force participation; Pigou cycles; productivity growth

Anticipated growth and business cycles in matching models

In a business cycle model that incorporates a standard matching framework, employment increases in response to news shocks, even though the wealth effect associated with the increase in expected productivity reduces labor force participation. The reason is that the matching friction induces entrepreneurs to increase investment in new projects and vacancies early. If there is underinvestment in new projects in the competitive equilibrium, then the efficiency gains associated with an increase in employment make it possible that consumption, employment, output, as well as the investment in new and existing projects jointly increase long before the actual increase in productivity materializes. If there is no underinvestment, then investment in existing projects decreases, but total investment, consumption, employment, and output still jointly increase