Using the approach suggested by Gabaix (Econometrica 2011) this paper demonstrates that idiosyncratic shocks in the largest firms are important for an understanding of aggregate volatility in German manufacturing industries. The implications of this finding for theoretical and empirical research...

We investigate the propagation of contagion through banks' balance sheets in a two-country model. We simulate an increase in non-performing loans in one bank, and study the effects on other banks and the macro economy of each country. We show that credit crunches destabilize each economy in the...