We model the opacity of over-the-counter (OTC) markets in a setup where agents share risks, but have incentives to default and their financial positions are not mutually observable. We show that this setup results in excess "leverage" in that parties take on short OTC positions that lead to...

This paper shows that numerical solutions to models with incomplete markets and aggregate uncertainty obtained using the Krusell and Smith (1998) algorithm are sensitive to the parameterization of the grid in the aggregate asset holdings direction. Higher moments of the cross-sectional...

We study endogenous leverage in a general equilibrium model with incomplete markets. We prove that in any binary tree leverage emerges in equilibrium at the maximum level such that VaR = 0, so there is no default in equilibrium, provided that agents get no utility from holding the collateral....

We study the dynamic Ramsey problem of finding optimal public debt and linear taxes on capital and labor income within a tractable infinite horizon model with incomplete markets. With zero public expenditure and debt, it is optimal to tax the risky labor income and subsidize capital, while a...

In this paper, we prove an existence theorem for approximated equilibria in a class of discontinuous economies. The existence result is a direct consequence of a discontinuous extension of Brouwer’s fixed point Theorem (1912), and is a refinement of several classical results in the standard...

We consider a class of convex, competitive, neoclassical economies in which agents are rational; the equilibrium is unique; there is no room for randomization devices; and there are no shocks to preferences, technologies, endowments, or other fundamentals. In short, we rule out every known source...

In this paper we study the properties of general equilibrium with default in economies with incomplete markets. It is noted that, in equilibrium, an agent makes two types of comparisons when deciding whether to participate in the credit market: as a lender and as a borrower. As a consequence,...

The paper generalizes the natural projection approach introduced by Balasko (1988) for the study of the qualitative equilibrium structure of exchange economies to a two period private ownership production model with uncertainty. It shows that long run equilibrium properties of the production...

This paper analyzes the efficiency of the Price Cap regulatory scheme and its impact on universal access, when the monopolist is allowed to set a menu of alternative plans as part of a self-selection strategy (second-degree price discrimination) and the cap is calculated as the weighted average...

A recent literature shows how an increase in volatility reduces leverage. However, in order to explain pro-cyclical leverage it assumes that bad news increases volatility, that is, it assumes an inverse relationship between first and second moments of asset returns. This paper suggests a reason...