Asset Pricing with “Buy Now, Pay Later”

Abstract

“Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) and other forms of consumer credit create a wedge between consumption and payments. We introduce this wedge into a standard consumption-based asset pricing model (CCAPM). In equilibrium, the pricing kernel equals the marginal utility of consumption divided by the return on the annuity with BNPL duration. When this duration is stochastic and co-moves with market risk, the BNPLCCAPM pricing kernel can jointly price size- and book-to-market-sorted stock portfolios and maturity-sorted bond portfolios.

Keywords: asset pricing, yield curve, buy-now-pay-later, consumer credit, financial frictions, credit frictions

JEL Classification: D11, D50, D51, D53, E21, E51, G12