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Inflation, Prices, and Information in Competitive Search

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  • Miquel Faig
  • Belén Jerez

Abstract

We study the effects of inflation in a competitive search model where each buyer's utility is private information, and where money is essential in facilitating trade. The equilibrium is efficient at the Friedman rule, but inflation creates an inefficiency in the terms of trade. Buyers experience a preference shock after they are matched with a seller, and thus they have a precautionary motive for holding money. Sellers, who compete to attract buyers, post non-linear price schedules to screen out different types of buyers. As inflation rises, sellers post relatively flat price schedules which reduce the need for buyers to hold precautionary balances. These price schedules induce buyers with a low desire to consume to purchase inefficiently high quantities because of the low marginal cost of purchasing goods. In contrast, buyers with a high desire to consume purchase inefficiently low quantities as they face binding liquidity constraints. The reduction of precautionary balances as inflation rises allows the model to fit historical US data on velocity and interest rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Miquel Faig & Belén Jerez, 2006. "Inflation, Prices, and Information in Competitive Search," Working Papers tecipa-215, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:tor:tecipa:tecipa-215
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Daisy J. Huang & Charles Ka Yui Leung & Chung-Yi Tse, 2018. "What Accounts for the Differences in Rent-Price Ratio and Turnover Rate? A Search-and-Matching Approach," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 431-475, October.
    2. Faig, Miquel & Huangfu, Xiuhua, 2007. "Competitive-search equilibrium in monetary economies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 709-718, September.
    3. Lars Boerner & Albrecht Ritschl, 2010. "Communal Responsibility and the Coexistence of Money and Credit Under Anonymous Matching," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2010-060, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    4. Rocheteau, Guillaume, 2012. "The cost of inflation: A mechanism design approach," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 147(3), pages 1261-1279.
    5. Shao, Enchuan, 2014. "The threat of counterfeiting in competitive search equilibrium," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 168-185.
    6. Stephen D. Williamson & Randall Wright, 2010. "New monetarist economics: methods," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 92(May), pages 265-302.
    7. Ennis, Huberto M., 2008. "Search, money, and inflation under private information," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 101-131, January.
    8. Lorenzo Carbonari & Fabrizio Mattesini & Robert J. Waldmann, 2023. "Inflation and Welfare in a Competitive Search Equilibrium with Asymmetric Information," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(4), pages 717-746, June.
    9. Benjamin Lester & Guillaume Rocheteau & Pierre‐Olivier Weill, 2015. "Competing for Order Flow in OTC Markets," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(S2), pages 77-126, June.
    10. Williamson, Stephen & Wright, Randall, 2010. "New Monetarist Economics: Models," Handbook of Monetary Economics, in: Benjamin M. Friedman & Michael Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Monetary Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 2, pages 25-96, Elsevier.
    11. Manolis Galenianos & Philipp Kircher, 2012. "On The Game‐Theoretic Foundations Of Competitive Search Equilibrium," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(1), pages 1-21, February.
    12. Janet Hua Jiang & Enchuan Shao, 2020. "The Cash Paradox," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 36, pages 177-197, April.
    13. Galenianos, Manolis & Kircher, Philipp, 2008. "A model of money with multilateral matching," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(6), pages 1054-1066, September.
    14. Dong, Mei & Jiang, Janet Hua, 2014. "Money and price posting under private information," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 740-777.
    15. Lars Boerner & Albrecht Ritschl, 2006. "Making Financial Markets: Contract Enforcement and the Emergence of Tradable Assets in Late Medieval Europe," 2006 Meeting Papers 884, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    16. Wang, Zijian, 2019. "Trading Motives in Asset Markets," MPRA Paper 91401, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Adrian Masters, 2010. "Money in a Model of Prior Production and Imperfectly Directed Search," Discussion Papers 10-11, University at Albany, SUNY, Department of Economics.
    18. Fusaro, Marc Anthony, 2010. "Are "bounced check loans" really loans? Theory, evidence and policy," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 492-500, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    inflation; precautionary money demand; competitive search; private information.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E40 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - General
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models

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