Asset Allocation and Monetary Policy: Evidence from the Eurozone

44 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2014

See all articles by Harald Hau

Harald Hau

University of Geneva - Geneva Finance Research Institute (GFRI); Swiss Finance Institute; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Sandy Lai

University of Hong Kong

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 21, 2014

Abstract

The eurozone has a single short-term nominal interest rate, but monetary policy conditions measured by real short-term interest rates varied substantially across countries in the period 2003-2010. We use this cross-country variation in the (local) tightness of monetary policy to examine its influence on equity and money market flows. In line with a powerful risk-shifting channel, we find that fund investors in countries with decreased real interest rates shift their portfolio investment out of the money market and into the riskier equity market -- causing significant equity price inflation in countries where investment home bias is the strongest.

Keywords: monetary policy, asset price inflation, risk seeking, Taylor rule residuals

JEL Classification: G11, G14, G23

Suggested Citation

Hau, Harald and Lai, Sandy, Asset Allocation and Monetary Policy: Evidence from the Eurozone (October 21, 2014). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 5005, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2512723 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2512723

Harald Hau (Contact Author)

University of Geneva - Geneva Finance Research Institute (GFRI) ( email )

40 Boulevard du Pont d'Arve
Geneva 4, Geneva 1211
Switzerland

Swiss Finance Institute

Switzerland

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Sandy Lai

University of Hong Kong ( email )

Faculty of Business and Economics
K.K. Leung Building, Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong, Pokfulam HK
Hong Kong

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