Peck and Shell (2003) show that equilibrium bank runs are possible in the Diamond and Dybvig (1983)environment. We show that their result is an artifact of their restriction to direct mechanisms. That is, their bank contract is not an optimal one. We show that an indirect mechanism eliminates...

We find that in order to have circulating counterfeit notes as part of the optimal mechanism, there must be heterogeneity of opportunities to create and circulate counterfeit among agents. When such heterogeneity exists, we find that counterfeiting creates distortions at both the intensive and...

We modify the Diamond-Dybvig [3] model studied in Green and Lin [5] to incorporate a self-interested banker who has a private record-keeping technology. A public record-keeping device does not exist. We find that there is a trade-off between sophisticated contracts that possess relatively good...

Should monetary policy be cyclical? The debate around this question is old but has benefited very little from research on the pure theory of money. In our model, people trade in pairs, without double coincidence of wants and face seasonal fluctuations. Monetary policy is restricted to taxing...

positions that require small reallocations. In such circumstances, welfare can increase if the government steps in, purchases private assets on its own account, and resells them when the economy recovers.

I study random-matching economies where at money coexists with real assets, and no restrictions are imposed on payment arrangements. I emphasize informational asymmetries about asset fundamentals to explain the partial illiquidity of real assets and the usefulness of at money. The liquidity of...

We study the dynamics of dealers' inventories during an asset market crash, described as a temporary, negative shock to outside investors' aggregate asset demand. We consider a class of dynamic market settings where trading between dealers and outside investors is subject to delays and requires...

We construct a continuous-time model of incomplete markets where households value both deterministic consumption flows and infrequent and random opportunities of lumpy consumption. Because of lack of commitment and lack of record keeping, households cannot borrow to finance these random...

We study economies with an essential role for liquid assets in transactions. The model can generate multiple stationary equilibria, across which asset prices, market participation, capitalization, output and welfare are positively related. It can also generate a variety of nonstationary...