There is a debate on whether executive pay reflects rent extraction due to "managerial power" or is the result of arms-length bargaining in a principal-agent framework. In this paper we offer a test of the managerial power hypothesis by empirically examining the CEO compensation of U.S. public...

Liquidity, efficiency and bailouts . In illiquid markets asset prices can be below their expected values. What is "liquidity" and where does it come from? What determines the "liquidity discount" to expected asset values? We present a general equilibrium model in which some agents...

Traffic from major hurricane evacuations is known to cause severe gridlocks on evacuation routes. Better prediction of the expected amount of evacuation traffic is needed to improve the decision-making process for the required evacuation routes and possible deployment of special traffic...

Using micro-level panel data and a difference-in-differences identification strategy, we study the effect of political uncertainty on household stock market participation. We find that households significantly reduce their participation and reallocate funds to safer assets during periods of...

Mutual funds typically invest a disproportionately large portion of their portfolio in one industry (main industry). We present a simple theoretical model to demonstrate that better mutual fund managers make larger investments in the important supplier/customer industries related to the main...

One important function of banks is to issue liabilities, like demand deposits, that are relatively safe and also liquid (usable as means of payment). We introduce risk of theft and a safe-keeping role for banks into monetary theory. This provides a general equilibrium framework for analyzing...

We consider the optimal portfolio selection problem for a constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) investor who derives utility from his terminal wealth. The stock returns are predictable, but the predictive variables are only periodically observable with noise. We obtain the investor's value...

We propose that the presence of large customers makes supplier firms' earnings more persistent, which leads to earnings shocks having a greater impact on stock prices of these firms. As a result, the managers of firms with large customers have stronger incentives to manage earnings. We formalize...

Costly information acquisition makes it rational for investors to obtain important economic news only with limited frequency or limited accuracy. We show that this rational inattention to important news may make investors overinvest or underinvest. In addition, the optimal trading strategy is...