Asset Market Equilibrium under Rational Inattention

We propose a noisy rational expectations equilibrium model of asset markets with rationally inattentive investors. We extend the literature to incorporate any finite number of assets with arbitrary correlation. We also do not restrict the signal form and show that investors optimality choose a single signal, which is a noisy linear combination of all risky assets. This generates comovement of asset prices and contagion of shocks, even when asset payoffs are negatively correlated. The model also provides testable predictions of the impact of risk aversion, aggregate risk, and information capacity on the security market line, the portfolio dispersion, and the abnormal return.