Stock market fluctuations and money demand in Italy, 1913-2003

This paper examines the impact of stock market fluctuations on money demand in Italy taking a long-run perspective. The empirical findings suggest that stock market fluctuations contribute to explain temporary movements in the liquidity preference, rather than its secular patterns. Overall, a positive association emerges between an index of stock market prices that includes dividends and real money balances; however, the estimated long-run relationship is unstable. In a dynamic, short-term specification of money demand the estimated coefficient on deflated stock prices is positive, thus compatible with a wealth effect, in the years 1913-1980, while in the last two decades a substitution effect prevailed and the correlation between money and share prices has been negative. This is likely to reflect a change in financial structure and the increasing role of opportunity costs defined over a wider range of assets. These results are confirmed by data on stock market capitalisation. Moreover, in the recent period stock market turnover and money growth are positively correlated.