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In this paper we assess the implications of sunk costs and product differentiation on the pricing decisions of the multinational firms. For this purpose we use a modified version of Salop's spatial competition. The model yields clear-cut predictions regarding the effects of exchange rate shocks on the market structure and on pass-through. The main results are following: shocks within the band of inaction do not affect market structure. The upper bound of this range rises as the industry ratio of sunk- to fixed costs increases. As fixed costs and product heterogeneity jointly increase, the lower bound drops. Outside of the range, depreciations cause one or several of those foreign brands closest to the home brand to leave. This decreases the overall responsiveness of prices to exchange rate shocks. Large appreciations induce entry and increase the elasticity of prices. This asymmetry implies larger positive than negative PPP deviations. When accounting for price changes in foreign markets, strategic pricing behaviour is no longer sufficient to generate real exchange rate variability. Incomplete pass-through obtains if and only if the domestic firms have a smaller market share abroad. With large nominal exchange rate shocks a hysteresis result obtains if and only if sunk costs are non-zero.

Recent empirical research found that the strong short-term relationship between monetary aggregates and US real output and inflation, as outlined in the classical study by M. Friedman and Schwartz, mostly disappeared since the early 1980s. In the light of the B. Friedman and Kuttner (1992) information value approach, we reevaluate the vanishing relationship between US monetary aggregates and these macroeconomic fundamentals by taking into account the international currency feature of the US dollar. In practice, by using official US data for foreign flows constructed by Porter and Judson (1996) we find that domestic money (currency component of M1 corrected for the foreign holdings of dollars) contains valuable information about future movements of US real output and inflation. Statistical evidence here provided thus suggests that the Friedman and Schwartz's stylized facts can be reestablished once the focus of analysis is back on the domestic monetary aggregates.

We suggest a new dynamic equilibrium approach that features product differentiation and endogenizes market structure at the same time. The model yields clear‐cut predictions regarding the effects of small and large exchange rate shocks on the market structure, pass‐through and international trade. First, we account for the asymmetric price adjustment process with respect to exchange rate shocks. Second, we discuss an array of conditions where short‐ and long‐run international monetary neutrality is violated. We present in detail under which conditions imperfect competition is able to generate persistent and volatile real exchange rate deviations. Most predictions survive alternative market configurations.

During the 15 years prior to the global financial crisis the volume of securitized assets transacted in the US grew substantially, reflecting a change in the nature of the financial intermediation process. Together with increased securitization of assets, financial entities, who participate more heavily in the asset-backed security (ABS) market and hold a diversified portfolio of assets, have also become more relevant. As a result, the volume of securitization, although traditionally associated with credit markets, influences the outcomes of other asset markets. We investigate the link between securitization and asset prices and show that increases in the growth rate of the volume of ABS issuance lead to a decline in both the bond and equity premia. We then build a model of bank portfolio choice where the creation of synthetic securities may occur. The pooling and tranching of credit assets relaxes both the funding and the risk constraints financial entities face allowing them to increase balance sheet holdings. This increase in asset demand depresses the compensation for undertaking risk in the economy, confirming our empirical results. Crucially, we show that declines in the compensation for risk taking in equity and bonds due to securitization may not be related to a decline in actual risk.

Este trabajo analiza la relación entre el volumen de titulización de activos de crédito y los precios de bonos y acciones. Se muestra que aumentos en la tasa de crecimiento de titulización generan una disminución considerable en primas en el mercado de bonos y de renta variable. En un modelo teórico se demuestra que cuando los bancos seleccionan su cartera de activos y crean activos sintéticos, la compensación por la exposición al riesgo en la economía disminuye en la medida que aumenta la titulización. La agregación y la división en tramos de activos crediticios relajan tanto los costes de financiación como la exposición al riesgo de los bancos, lo que permite aumentar la cartera de activos a bancos que mantienen una cartera diversificada. Por tanto, es posible que la disminución de la prima de riesgo no identifique la verdadera disminución en la exposición al riesgo de los activos en el mercado de bonos y de renta variable ; We investigate the link between securitization and asset prices and show that increases in the growth rate of the volume of ABS issuance lead to a sizable decline in bond and equity premia. Furthermore, we show that in a model where banks select their portfolio of assets and create synthetic securities, the compensation for undertaking risk decreases as securitization increases. The pooling and tranching of credit assets relaxes both the funding and the risk constraints banks face allowing them to increase balance sheet holdings. Accordingly, the drop in risk premium may be unrelated to a decline in actual risk

We propose a model that delivers endogenous variations in term spreads driven primarily by banks' portfolio decision and their appetite to bear the risk of maturity transformation. We first show that fluctuations of the future profitability of banks' portfolios affect their ability to cover for any liquidity shortage and hence influence the premium they require to carry maturity risk. During a boom, profitability is increasing and thus spreads are low, while during a recession profitability is decreasing and spreads are high, in accordance with the cyclical properties of term spreads in the data. Second, we use the model to look at monetary policy and show that allowing banks to sell long-term assets to the central bank after a liquidity shock leads to a sharp decrease in long-term rates and term spreads. Third, such interventions have significant impact on long-term investment, decreasing the amplitude of output responses after a liquidity shock. The short-term rate does not need to be decreased as much and inflation turns out to be much higher than if no QE interventions were implemented. Finally, we provide macro- and microeconometric evidence for the U.S. to show the importance of expected financial business profitability in the determination of term spread fluctuations.