Pledgability and Liquidity: A New Monetarist Model of Financial and Macroeconomic Activity

Venky Venkateswaran and Randall Wright

No 19009, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: When limited commitment hinders unsecured credit, assets help by serving as collateral. We study models where assets differ in pledgability - the extent to which they can be used to secure loans - and hence liquidity. Although many previous analyses of imperfect credit focus on producers, we emphasize consumers. Household debt limits are determined by the cost households incur when assets are seized in the event of default. The framework, which nests standard growth and asset-pricing theory, is calibrated to analyze the effects of monetary policy and financial innovation. We show that inflation can raise output, employment and investment, plus improve housing and stock markets. For the baseline calibration, optimal inflation is positive. Increases in pledgability can generate booms and busts in economic activity, but may still be good for welfare.

JEL-codes: E41 E43 E44 E52 G12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-cba, nep-dge and nep-mac
Note: ME
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (40)

Published as Pledgability and Liquidity: A New Monetarist Model of Financial and Macroeconomic Activity , Venky Venkateswaran, Randall Wright. in NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2013, Volume 28 , Parker and Woodford. 2014

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