Financial Market Risk Perceptions and the Macroeconomy

Carolin Pflueger, Emil Siriwardane and Adi Sunderam

No 26290, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We propose a novel measure of risk perceptions: the price of volatile stocks (PVSₜ), defined as the book-to-market ratio of low-volatility stocks minus the book-to-market ratio of high-volatility stocks. PVSₜ is high when perceived risk directly measured from surveys and option prices is low. When perceived risk is high according to our measure, safe asset prices are high, risky asset prices are low, the cost of capital for risky firms is high, and real investment is forecast to decline. Perceived risk as measured by PVSₜ falls after positive macroeconomic news. These declines are predictably followed by upward revisions in investor risk perceptions. Our results suggest that risk perceptions embedded in stock prices are an important driver of the business cycle and are not fully rational.

JEL-codes: E03 E22 E44 G12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac
Note: AP EFG ME
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Published as Carolin Pflueger & Emil Siriwardane & Adi Sunderam, 2020. "Financial Market Risk Perceptions and the Macroeconomy*," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol 135(3), pages 1443-1491.

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