Waldyr Dutra Areosa

Information (in) Chains: information transmission through production chains

We study the transmission of information in a model with a vertical input-output structure and dispersed information. Firms observe input prices with noise that endogenize the precision of information that is public within a stage but not across stages. In contrast to the case with an exogenous and overall public signal, our main result is that agents may find it optimal to rely less on public information along the chain. A direct implication is that, while information precision remains unchanged with exogenous public signals (information chains), it may decrease along the chain when semi-public signals are endogenous (information in chains).

The Signaling Effect of Exchange Rates: Pass-Through under Dispersed Information

We examine exchange-rate pass-through (ERPT) to prices in a model of dispersed information in which the nominal exchange rate imperfectly conveys information about the underlying fundamentals. If the information is complete, ERPT is also complete. Under dispersed information, we derive conditions under which our model displays three properties that are consistent with the stylized facts of pass-through. First, ERPT lies between 0 and 1 (incomplete ERPT). Second, ERPT is usually higher for imported goods prices than for consumer prices (exchange rate-consumer price puzzle). Third, there is a link between ERPT and macroeconomic stability.