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The Choice Channel of Financial Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Felipe S. Iachan
  • Plamen T. Nenov
  • Alp Simsek

Abstract

Financial innovation in recent decades has expanded portfolio choice. We investigate how greater choice affects investors' savings and asset returns. We establish a choice channel by which greater portfolio choice increases investors' savings—by enabling them to earn the aggregate risk premium or take speculative positions. In equilibrium, portfolio customization (access to risky assets beyond the market portfolio) reduces the risk-free rate. Participation (access to the market portfolio) reduces the risk premium but typically increases the risk-free rate. Empirically, stock market participants in the United States save more than nonparticipants and have increasingly dispersed portfolio returns, consistent with the choice channel.

Suggested Citation

  • Felipe S. Iachan & Plamen T. Nenov & Alp Simsek, 2021. "The Choice Channel of Financial Innovation," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 333-372, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmac:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:333-72
    DOI: 10.1257/mac.20180429
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Uppal, Raman & Buss, Adrian & Vilkov, Grigory, 2017. "Financial Innovation and Asset Prices," CEPR Discussion Papers 12416, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Haddad, Valentin & Ho, Paul & Loualiche, Erik, 2022. "Bubbles and the value of innovation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1), pages 69-84.
    3. Ragnar Juelsrud & Plamen Nenov & Fabienne Schneider & Olav Syrstad, 2025. "Money Talks: Transaction Costs, the Value of Convenience, and the Cross-Section of Safe Asset Returns," Staff Working Papers 25-34, Bank of Canada.
    4. Vladimir Asriyan & Luca Fornaro & Alberto Martin & Jaume Ventura, 2021. "Monetary Policy for a Bubbly World [Money and Capital in a Persistent Liquidity Trap]," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 88(3), pages 1418-1456.
    5. Atif Mian & Ludwig Straub & Amir Sufi, 2021. "Indebted Demand," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(4), pages 2243-2307.
    6. Flynn, Joel P. & Schmidt, Lawrence D. W. & Toda, Alexis Akira, 2023. "Robust comparative statics for the elasticity of intertemporal substitution," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 18(1), January.
    7. Patir, Assaf, 2017. "Securitization, bank vigilance, leverage and sudden stops," MPRA Paper 81463, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ricardo J Caballero & Alp Simsek, 2020. "A Risk-Centric Model of Demand Recessions and Speculation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(3), pages 1493-1566.
    9. Kame Babilla, Thierry U., 2023. "Digital innovation and financial access for small and medium-sized enterprises in a currency union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    10. Ricardo J. Caballero & Alp Simsek, 2019. "Prudential Monetary Policy," NBER Working Papers 25977, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Martin Guzman & Joseph E Stiglitz, 2021. "Pseudo-wealth and Consumption Fluctuations [Emerging market business cycles: the cycle is the trend]," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(633), pages 372-391.
    12. Saki Bigio & Eduardo Zilberman, 2020. "Speculation-driven Business Cycles," Working Papers 161, Peruvian Economic Association.
    13. Shawn Cole & Benjamin Iverson & Peter Tufano, 2022. "Can Gambling Increase Savings? Empirical Evidence on Prize-Linked Savings Accounts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(5), pages 3282-3308, May.
    14. Ricardo J Caballero & Alp Simsek, 2021. "A Model of Endogenous Risk Intolerance and LSAPs: Asset Prices and Aggregate Demand in a “COVID-19” Shock [Financial intermediaries and the cross-section of asset returns]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(11), pages 5522-5580.
    15. Gao, George P. & Lu, Xiaomeng & Song, Zhaogang & Yan, Hongjun, 2019. "Disagreement beta," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 96-113.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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