Inflation,real returns and capital investment

We find evidence for the hypothesis of Mundell (1963) and Tobin (1965) that the expected real return component of interest rates is negatively related to the expected inflation component. In the Mundell-Tobin model, the variation in expected real returns is caused by the variation in expected inflation. Our evidence suggests, however, that the variation in expected real returns is more fundamentally an outcome of the capital expenditures process. Equilibrium expected real returns vary directly with capital expenditures in order to induce equilibrium allocations of resources between consumption and investment. This positive relation between expected real returns and real activity, which comes out of the real sector, combines with a negative relation between expected inflation and real activity, which is traced to the monetary sector, thus inducing the negative relation between expected inflation and expected real returns predicted by Mundell and Tobin but explained in terms of a model much different from theirs.     

Ageing and public capital accumulation

We have examined the effects of ageing on the balanced-growth-maximizing public investment policy in an overlapping generations model with growth engines of public capital accumulation. Extended life expectancy tends to increase individual savings, while the increased old-age dependency requires more resources to be allocated to consumption in the economy. Declining working population makes for a severe trade-off between private and public capital accumulation. It is shown that as ageing proceeds, not only the income tax rate must be raised to accelerate public capital formation but the expenditure share of maintenance should be increased in order to maximize the balanced-growth rate.      

Dynamic behavior of capital accumulation in a cash-in-advance model

This paper analyzes the dynamic behavior of capital accumulation in Stockman's cash-in-advance model. If the cash-in-advance constraint applies only to consumption, then money is superneutral along the transition path as well as in the long run. Alternatively, if the cash-in-advance constraint applies to gross investment as well as consumption, then a permanent increase in the rate of monetary growth reduces the steady state capital stock. The effect on the speed of adjustment depends on the sign of a certain simple function of the parameters of preferences and technology.     

Dynamic Asset Allocation under Inflation

We develop a simple framework for analyzing a finite-horizon investor's asset allocation problem under inflation when only nominal assets are available. The investor's optimal investment strategy and indirect utility are given in simple closed form. Hedge demands depend on the investor's horizon and risk aversion and on the maturities of the bonds included in the portfolio. When short positions are precluded, the optimal strategy consists of investments in cash, equity, and a single nominal bond with optimally chosen maturity. Both the optimal stock–bond mix and the optimal bond maturity depend on the investor's horizon and risk aversion.     

Time to wealth goals in capital accumulation

This paper considers the problem of investment of capital in risky assets in a dynamic capital market in continuous time. The model controls risk, and in particular the risk associated with errors in the estimation of asset returns. The framework for investment risk is a geometric Brownian motion model for asset prices, with random rates of return. The information filtration process and the capital allocation decisions are considered separately. The filtration is based on a Bayesian model for asset prices, and an (empirical) Bayes estimator for current price dynamics is developed from the price history. Given the conditional price dynamics, investors allocate wealth to achieve their financial goals efficiently over time. The price updating and wealth reallocations occur when control limits on the wealth process are attained. A Bayesian fractional Kelly strategy is optimal at each rebalancing, assuming that the risky assets are jointly lognormal distributed. The strategy minimizes the expected time to the upper wealth limit while maintaining a high probability of reaching that goal before falling to a lower wealth limit. The fractional Kelly strategy is a blend of the log-optimal portfolio and cash and is equivalently represented by a negative power utility function, under the multivariate lognormal distribution assumption. By rebalancing when control limits are reached, the wealth goals approach provides greater control over downside risk and upside growth. The wealth goals approach with random rebalancing times is compared to the expected utility approach with fixed rebalancing times in an asset allocation problem involving stocks, bonds, and cash.     

Optimal Bank Behavior under Uncertain Inflation

In this paper, we derive a model of the individual banking firm facing stochastic inflation. The bank is considered as a depository financial intermediary operating in the primary market as a multiproduct price discriminating firm. A secondary market is also considered where liquidity surpluses and deficits are traded. Two types of assets and liabilities are assumed: deposits and loans linked to a general price level and nonlinked instruments. Effects of changes in the parameters such as inflation rate and variability, reserve requirements are analyzed.     

通货膨胀目标制宏观经济效应之“非对称性”的验证

已有的相关研究似乎显示通货膨胀目标制的宏观经济效应在工业国与新兴市场国之间存在着非对称性(即通胀目标制在新兴市场国表现出具有改善一国宏观经济的积极政策效果,但在工业国却缺乏足够证据来证实这一点)。本文以采用通胀目标制的所有国家为考察对象,选择通货膨胀率、GDP成长率及其各自的波动四变量作为刻画一国宏观经济运行态势的代表性指标,运用DID方法并结合Bootstrap检验对此进行验证。研究结果表明此非对称性确实存在,此结论对同为新兴经济体、并且货币政策面临变革和转型需要的我国具有一定的政策启示。     

通货膨胀环境下的证券投资策略研究

由于诸多因素的影响,我国消费者价格指数持续上涨,中国的通胀压力越来越大。而通货膨胀是影响证券市场发展的一个重要因素,它既有刺激证券市场的作用,又有压抑证券市场的功效。因此,如何规避通货膨胀的压力,实现资本的保值增值就成了投资者面临的主要问题。     

Ordering Uncertain Options under Inflation: A Note

Stochastic dominance rules (SD) have been extended to the case where investors are allowed to borrow and lend at the riskless interest rate. Stochastic dominance rules with a riskless asset (SDR) are much more effective than SD rules. However, it seems that this benefit is eliminated by an uncertain inflation, since riskless assets become risky once uncertain inflation is considered. We prove in this paper that SDR criteria are valid also in the face of uncertain (and independent) inflation. Moreover, while the mean-variance (MV) efficient set increases with uncertain inflation, the stochastic dominance efficient sets decrease.     

货币信贷扩张背景下通货膨胀趋势及其应对措施

我国是否会发生通货彭胀是由多种要素共同决定的,本文选取其中的一个视角,从货币因素出发,站在货币信贷扩张的大背景下去研究通货膨胀问题,具有很强的现实意义。本文采用定量与定性、理论与实证相结合的研究方法,先是采用实证研究分析影响通货膨胀的因素,并得出实证部分结论,之后再对未来通胀形势进行总体的分析和判断,最后提出应对通货膨胀趋势的建议。     

Destination- and origin-based taxation under international capital mobility

This paper analyzes the macroeconomic effects of origin-based and destination-based taxes in a small open economy with international capital mobility and overlapping generations. In contrast to origin-based production taxes, destination-and origin-based consumption taxes do not distort the international allocation of capital. Nevertheless, the origin and destination principles are typically not equivalent due to different impacts on the intergenerational and international distribution of resources.     

Bank regulation under nonbinding capital guidelines

A one-period model of bank equity is presented in which the end of the period can be interpreted as the next regulatory examination. A capital guideline is in place that may or may not be met as the values of the bank's assets and liabilities fluctuate during the period. If the guideline is not met at the time of examination, however, equityholders bear some cost. The bank's risk-taking incentives between examinations are studied. The model suggests that higher capital guidelines may cause riskier bank behavior at some points in time, but do not imply a trend toward a riskier banking system.     

Optimal capital structure under corporate and personal taxation

In this paper, a model of corporate leverage choice is formulated in which corporate and differential personal taxes exist and supply side adjustments by firms enter into the determination of equilibrium relative prices of debt and equity. The presence of corporate tax shield substitutes for debt such as accounting depreciation, depletion allowances, and investment tax credits is shown to imply a market equilibrium in which each firm has a unique interior optimum leverage decision (with or without leverage-related costs). The optimal leverage model yields a number of interesting predictions regarding cross-sectional and time-series properties of firms' capital structures. Extant evidence bearing on these predictions is examined.     

论通货膨胀条件下的会计模式

本文通过对通货膨胀条件下国际上通行的会计计量手段的分析,揭示了其理论基础和实务操作的基本思路,可以在会计实践中利用类似的方法和思路更准确的的反映资产价值、经营成果和投资报酬水平。     

Theories of bank behavior under capital regulation

This paper reviews academic studies of bank capital regulation in an effort to evaluate the intellectual foundation for the imposition of the Basel I and Basel II systems of risk-based capital requirements. The theoretical literature yields general agreement about the immediate effects of capital requirements on bank lending and loan rates and the longer-term impacts on bank ratios of equity to total or risk-adjusted assets. This literature produces highly mixed predictions, however, regarding the effects of capital regulation on asset risk and overall safety and soundness for the banking system as a whole. Thus, the intellectual foundation for the present capital-regulation regime is not particularly strong. The mixed conclusions in the academic literature on banking certainly do not provide unqualified support for moving to an even more stringent and costly system of capital requirements. These widely ambiguous results do suggest, however, that assessing the implications of capital regulation for balance-sheet risk and monitoring effort in diverse banking systems is an important agenda for future theoretical research in the banking area.     

Investment timing and optimal capital structure under liquidity risk

Deterioration in debt market liquidity reduces debt values and affects firms' decisions. Considering such risk, we develop an investment timing model and obtain analytic solutions. We carry out a comprehensive analysis in optimal financing, default, and investment strategies, and stockholder–bondholder conflicts. Our model explains stylized facts and replicates empirical findings in credit spreads. We obtain six new insights for decision makers. We propose a ‘new trade-off theory’ for optimal capital structure, a new tax effect, and new explanations of ‘debt conservatism puzzle’ and ‘zero-leverage puzzle’. Failure in recognizing liquidity risk results in substantially over-leveraging, early bankruptcy or investment, overpriced options, and undervalued coupons and credit spreads. In addition, agency costs are surprisingly small for a high liquidity risk or a low project risk. Interestingly, the risk shifting incentive and debt overhang problem decrease with liquidity risk under moderate tax rates while they increase under high tax rates.     

高货币化、通货膨胀预期与通货膨胀

通货膨胀成为信用货币经济中循环往复的问题,货币是症结关键。通过建立包含货币缺口和收入差距的凯恩斯Phillips曲线理论模型,利用中国1979-2010年的数据实证得出:货币化通过两种途径作用于通货膨胀,一是通过扩大货币缺口、直接推动当期物价上升,二是高货币化导致了较高的通货膨胀预期,这种预期又推动了通货膨胀的自我实现。因此,在经济平稳发展情况下,货币化是一个金融发展程度指标,但在严重依赖货币扩张推动经济增长的情况下,货币化却可能是货币超发的指标,与通货膨胀存在着密切关系。     

News on Inflation and the Epidemiology of Inflation Expectations

This paper examines the nexus between news coverage on inflation and households’ inflation expectations. In doing so, we test the epidemiological foundations of the sticky information model (Carroll 2003, 2006 ). We use both aggregate and household‐level data from the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. We highlight a fundamental disconnection among news on inflation, consumers’ frequency of expectation updating, and the accuracy of their expectations. Our evidence provides at best weak support to the epidemiological framework, as most of the consumers who update their expectations do not revise them toward professional forecasters’ mean forecast.     

Inflation and inequality

Cross-country evidence on inflation and income inequality suggests that they are positively related. This article explores the hypothesis that this correlation is the outcome of a distributional conflict underlying the determination of government policies. A political economy model is presented in which equilibrium inflation is positively related to the degree of inequality in income due to the relative vulnerability to inflation of low income households.     

Dividend policy under conditions of capital market and signaling equilibria

This article develops a generalized capital asset pricing model with dividend signaling under the assumption of asymmetric information between corporate insiders and outside investors. The generalized capital asset pricing model is derived under reasonably plausible conditions that are sufficient for the existence of dividends. The model provides a theoretical framework for testing the effect of dividends on equity price and returns. Further, if dividends serve as a credible signal and the cost of signaling is positive, paying higher dividends results in higher systematic risk.