We document that the convenience yield of U.S. Treasuries exhibits properties that are consistent with a hedging perspective of safe assets. The convenience yield tends to be low when the covariance of Treasury returns with the aggregate stock market returns is high. A decomposition of the...

How do differences in the creit channel affect investment behavior in the U.S. and the Euro area? To analyze this question, we calibrate an agency cost model of business cycles. We focus on two key components of the lending channel, the default premium associated with bank loans and bankruptcy...

How do differences in the creit channel affect investment behavior in the U.S. and the Euro area? To analyze this question, we calibrate an agency cost model of business cycles. We focus on two key components of the lending channel, the default premium associated with bank loans and bankruptcy...

We investigate the implications of a scarcity of safe assets in a framework in which the safety of an asset is an equilibrium outcome. The intrinsic characteristics and supply of the assets determine their liquidity properties and degree of safeness. The equilibrium can be inefficient even if...

When agents are liquidity constrained, two options exist - borrow or sell assets. We compare the welfare properties of these options in two economies: in one, agents can borrow (issue inside bonds) and in the other they can sell government bonds (outside bonds). All transactions are voluntary,...

This multi-faceted analysis of institutional investment defines fiduciary finance institutions as the third pillar of the financial system, alongside banks and insurers. It documents the role played by investment funds and the money management industry during the recent financial crisis, and...

We analyze the effects of retail investor sentiment on the German stock market by introducing four distinct investor pessimism indices (IPIs) based on selected aggregate Google search queries of households. We assess the impact of weekly changes in sentiment captured by the IPIs on both...

We propose a dynamic measure of stock market sentiment, extending heavily the widely adopted Baker and Wurgler (2006) market sentiment index construct on the novel basis that (1) the aggregate market sentiment must cover as many views from different investors or investment activities as possible;...

We propose a dynamic measure of stock market sentiment, extending heavily the widely adopted Baker and Wurgler (2006) market sentiment index construct on the novel basis that (1) the aggregate market sentiment must cover as many views from different investors or investment activities as possible;...

We compare the implications of speculation versus hedging channels for bond markets in heterogeneous agents’ economies. Treasuries command a significant risk premium when optimistic agents speculate by leveraging their positions using bonds. Disagreement drives a wedge between marginal agent...