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International Portfolio Choice: Liquidity Constraints and the Home Equity Bias Puzzle

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  • Michaelides, Alexander

Abstract

This Paper solves for optimal international portfolio choice in the presence of liquidity constraints and undiversifiable labour income risk. Optimal portfolios are internationally diversified while positive correlation between domestic stock market returns and permanent labour income shocks can worsen the home equity bias puzzle. Nevertheless, either small costs associated with investing abroad or a slightly positive domestic to foreign equity premium differential are sufficient to either deter households from participating in a foreign market or generate a substantial bias for home equities. The benefits of international diversification are limited because consumption fluctuations can be smoothed with a small amount of buffer stock saving, while exchange rate risk makes foreign investments less appealing to risk averse investors.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 3066.

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Date of creation: Nov 2001
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:3066

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Keywords: home equity bias; information costs; international portfolio choice; liquidity constraints;

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References

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Fabrizio Perri & Jonathan Heathcote, 2007. "The International Diversification Puzzle Is Not as Bad as You Think," Working Papers 2007-3, University of Minnesota, Department of Economics, revised 08 Oct 2007.
  2. Ina Simonovska & Athanasios Geromichalos, 2011. "Asset Liquidity and International Portfolio Choice," 2011 Meeting Papers 756, Society for Economic Dynamics.
  3. Bravo-Ortega, Claudio, 2005. "Does asymmetric information cause the home equity bias?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3495, The World Bank.
  4. Haselmann, Rainer & Herwartz, Helmut, 2010. "The introduction of the Euro and its effects on portfolio decisions," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 94-110, February.
  5. Massimo Guidolin, 2005. "Home bias and high turnover in an overlapping generations model with learning," Working Papers 2005-012, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  6. Haselmann, Rainer & Herwartz, Helmut, 2008. "Portfolio performance and the Euro: Prospects for new potential EMU members," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 314-330, March.
  7. Haselmann, Rainer & Helmut, Herwartz, 2005. "The Introduction of the Euro and its Effects on Investment Decisions," Economics Working Papers 2005,15, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
  8. Ricardo M. Sousa, 2011. "Wealth, Labour Income, Stock Returns and Government Bond Yields, and Financial Stress in the Euro Area," NIPE Working Papers 22/2011, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.
  9. Martin D. D. Evans (Georgetown University) and Viktoria Hnatkovska (Georgetown University), 2005. "Solving General Equilibrium Models with Incomplete Markets and Many Assets," Working Papers gueconwpa~05-05-18, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
  10. Sirr, Gordon & Garvey, John & Gallagher, Liam, 2011. "Emerging markets and portfolio foreign exchange risk: An empirical investigation using a value-at-risk decomposition technique," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1749-1772.
  11. Magi, Alessandro, 2009. "Portfolio choice, behavioral preferences and equity home bias," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 501-520, May.
  12. Ricardo M. Sousa, 2010. "Time-Varying Expected Returns: Evidence from the U.S. and the U.K," NIPE Working Papers 10/2010, NIPE - Universidade do Minho.

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