This paper evaluates the return on equity using novel data on the consumption of luxury goods. Specifying household utility as a nonhomothetic function of the consumption of both a luxury good and a basic good, we derive and evaluate the riskiness of equity in such a world. Household survey and national accounts consumption data overstate the risk aversion necessary to match the observed equity premium because they contain basic consumption goods. The risk aversion implied by equity returns and the consumption of luxury goods is more than an order of magnitude less than found using national accounts consumption data. For the very rich, the equity premium is much less of a puzzle.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
8417.
Length: Date of creation: Aug 2001 Date of revision: Publication status: published as Journal of Finance, 2004, vol. 59, pp. 2959-3004 Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8417
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Article
YACINE AÏT-SAHALIA & JONATHAN A. PARKER & MOTOHIRO YOGO, 2004.
"Luxury Goods and the Equity Premium,"
Journal of Finance,
American Finance Association, vol. 59(6), pages 2959-3004, December.
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Paper
Yacine Ait-Sahalia & Jonathan A. Parker & Motohiro Yogo, 2002.
"Luxury Goods and the Equity Premium,"
Working Papers
145, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Discussion Papers in Economics..
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Find related papers by JEL classification: G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
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