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Durables, Nondurables, Down Payments and Consumption Excesses

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Author Info
Maria J. Luengo-Prado (Northeastern University)

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Abstract

We examine a model that generalizes the standard buffer-stock model of savings to accommodate durables, nondurables and a collateralized liquidity constraint, with and without adjustment costs in the durables market. Since there is no known analytical solution to the model, we solve it numerically. We find that nondurable consumption becomes more volatile as down payment requirements decrease at the individual and at the aggregate level. Moreover, for plausible parameter values the model can explain the excess smoothness and excess sensitivity observed in the U.S. economy. The results follow from a gradual adjustment of consumption to permanent income shocks in an attempt by agents to spread out the burden of down payments over time.

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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Macroeconomics with number 0408006.

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Length: 45 pages
Date of creation: 10 Aug 2004
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Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpma:0408006

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 45
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Web page: http://129.3.20.41

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Related research
Keywords: Buffer Stock; Consumption; Durable Goods;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Antonia Díaz & Maria Jose Luengo-Prado, 2006. "The Wealth Distribution With Durable Goods," Economics Working Papers we067027, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Economía. [Downloadable!]
  2. Helge Braun & Winfried Koeniger, 2007. "On the role of market insurance in a dynamic model," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 61-90, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Bent E. Sorensen & Maria J. Luengo-Prado, 2004. "The Buffer Stock Model and the Aggregate Propensity to Consume," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 457, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
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