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The Baby Boom: Predictability in House Prices and Interest Rates

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  • Robert F. Martin

    (International Finance Federal Reserve Board)

Abstract

This paper explores the baby boom's impact on U.S. house prices and interest rates in the post-war 20th century and beyond. Using a simple Lucas asset pricing model, I quantitatively account for the increase in real house prices, the path of real interest rates, and the timing of low-frequency fluctuations in real house prices. The model predicts that the primary force underlying the evolution of real house prices is the systematic and predictable changes in the working age population driven by the baby boom. The model is calibrated to U.S. data and tested on international data. One surprising success of the model is its ability to predict the boom and bust in Japanese real estate markets around 1974 and 1990.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert F. Martin, 2006. "The Baby Boom: Predictability in House Prices and Interest Rates," 2006 Meeting Papers 84, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed006:84
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    Cited by:

    1. Gonzalo Paz-Pardo, 2024. "Homeownership and Portfolio Choice over the Generations," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 207-237, January.
    2. Rose Cunningham & Ilan Kolet, 2007. "Housing Market Cycles and Duration Dependence in the United States and Canada," Staff Working Papers 07-2, Bank of Canada.
    3. Pablo A. Guerron-Quintana & Ryo Jinnai, 2013. "Liquidity, Trends and the Great Recession," UTokyo Price Project Working Paper Series 015, University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics.
    4. Gong, Yifan & Yao, Yuxi, 2022. "Demographic changes and the housing market," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Rose Cunningham & Ilan Kolet, 2011. "Housing market cycles and duration dependence in the United States and Canada," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 569-586.
    6. Matteo Iacoviello & Stefano Neri, 2010. "Housing Market Spillovers: Evidence from an Estimated DSGE Model," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 125-164, April.
    7. Michele Boldrin & Carlos Garriga & Adrian Peralta-Alva & Juan M. Sanchez, 2020. "Reconstructing the Great Recession," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 102(3), pages 271-311, July.
    8. Koji Nakamura & Yumi Saita, 2007. "Land Prices and Fundamentals," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 07-E-8, Bank of Japan.
    9. Li, Xiaolu & Tang, Yang, 2018. "When natives meet immigrants in public and private housing markets," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 30-44.
    10. Robert F. Martin & Don Schlagenhauf & Carlos Garriga, 2010. "Housing Boom and Bust Cycles," 2010 Meeting Papers 1080, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    11. Yumi Saita & Chihiro Shimizu & Tsutomu Watanabe, 2013. "Aging and Real Estate Prices: Evidence from Japanese and US Regional Data," CARF F-Series CARF-F-334, Center for Advanced Research in Finance, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo.
    12. Carlos Garriga, 2010. "The Role of Construction in the Housing Boom and Bust in Spain," Working Papers 2010-09, FEDEA.
    13. Saita, Yumi & Shimizu, Chihiro & Watanabe, Tsutomu, 2013. "Aging and Real Estate Prices: Evidence from Japanese and US Regional Data," HIT-REFINED Working Paper Series 2, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    14. James A. Kahn, 2008. "What drives housing prices?," Staff Reports 345, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    15. Chia, Wai-Mun & Li, Mengling & Tang, Yang, 2017. "Public and private housing markets dynamics in Singapore: The role of fundamentals," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 44-61.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    asset pricing; yield curve; moderation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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