Turalay Kenc

WELFARE COST OF MONETARY AND FISCAL POLICY SHOCKS

This paper provides estimates of the welfare cost of volatility attributable to monetary and fiscal policy shocks. It uses a continuous-time stochastic dynamic general equilibrium model based on a recursive utility function that disentangles risk aversion from intertemporal substitution. We find that monetary and fiscal policy shocks may lead to opposite welfare effects: negative for monetary growth shocks, but positive for government expenditure shocks. Furthermore, we find that welfare costs are sensitive to the parameter values chosen for risk aversion and intertemporal substitution, and we conclude that welfare costs are potentially much larger than that found by Lucas, forcing some modification of the policy conclusions associated with Lucass pioneering work.

The Effects of Different Parameterizations of Markov-Switching in a CIR Model of Bond Pricing

We examine several discrete-time versions of the Cox, Ingersoll and Ross (CIR) model for the term structure, in which the short rate is subject to discrete shifts. Our empirical analysis suggests that careful consideration of which parameters of the short-term interest rate equation that are allowed to be switched is crucial. Ignoring this issue may result in a parameterization that produces no improvement (in terms of bond pricing) relative to the standard CIR model, even when there are clear breaks in the data.

REAL OPTIONS WITH PRICED REGIME-SWITCHING RISK

We develop a model of regime-switching risk premia as well as regime-dependent factor risk premia to price real options. The model incorporates the observation that the underlying risky income streams of real options are subject to discrete shifts over time as well as random changes. The presence of discrete shifts is due to systematic and unsystematic risk associated with changes in business cycles or in economic policy regimes or events such as takeovers, major changes in business plans. We analyze the impact of regime-switching behavior on the valuation of projects and investment opportunities. We find that accounting for Markov switching risk results in a delay in the expected timing of the investment while the regime-specific factor risk premia make the possibility of a regime shift more pronounced.

Growth and Welfare Effects of Monetary Volatility

In this paper we use a continuous-time, stochastic, dynamic general equilibrium model to provide estimates of the growth and welfare effects of monetary volatility. Our primary concern is to highlight the long-run consequences of different monetary environments in a small open economy. Using UK-relevant data to set key parameter values in the model, we carry out three policy experiments. We find that (i) eliminating monetary growth shocks and (ii) reducing the inflation rate can each generate positive growth and welfare effects, while (iii) reducing the interest rate depresses growth and is welfare deteriorating. However, these results are sensitive to the values set for the risk aversion and intertemporal substitution parameters. Most notably, in some cases, high degrees of risk aversion are sufficient to change the direction of the influence of volatility on growth and welfare--an issue currently challenging the profession. Copyright 2001 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester

FOREX risk premia and policy uncertainty: a recursive utility analysis

We compare actual and calibrated values for the foreign exchange risk premium based on the definition in [J. Int. Econ. 32 (1992) 305]. Calibrated values are found from within a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of a small open economy consisting of risk averse optimizing agents with unconventional preferences. We find that the equilibrium foreign exchange risk premium is a function of exogenous shocks in the model and is sensitive to assumed attitudes towards risk. Furthermore, various forms of policy uncertainty improve the capacity of the model to generate values closer to those found in the data.