Dynamic Equilibrium Economies: A Framework for Comparing Models and Data

Abstract

Many recent theoretical papers have come under attack for modeling prices as Geometric Brownian Motion. This process can diverge over time, implying that firms facing this price process can earn infinite profits. We explore the significance of this attack and contrast investment under Geometric Brownian Motion with investment assuming mean reversion. While analytically more complex, mean reversion in many cases is a more plausible assumption, allowing for supply responses to increasing prices. We show a mean reversion process rather than Geometric Brownian Motion and provide an explanation for this result.