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Rational inattention, menu costs, and multi-product firms: Micro evidence and aggregate implications

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  • Yang, Choongryul

Abstract

Using a New Zealand firm-level survey, I show that firms producing more goods have both better information about inflation and more frequent but smaller price changes. To explain these empirical findings, I develop a general equilibrium menu cost model with rationally inattentive multi-product firms. I show that the interaction of nominal and informational rigidities leads to a new selection effect: Price adjusters are better informed than non-adjusters. This selection endogenously generates a leptokurtic distribution of desired price changes, which amplifies monetary non-neutrality. Compared to a one-product baseline, the real effects of monetary shocks are 12 percent smaller in a two-product model.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Choongryul, 2022. "Rational inattention, menu costs, and multi-product firms: Micro evidence and aggregate implications," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 105-123.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:128:y:2022:i:c:p:105-123
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2022.04.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Nilsen, Øivind A. & Skuterud, Håvard & Webster, Ingeborg Munthe-Kaas, 2021. "Price change synchronization within and between firms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    2. Andrade, Philippe & Coibion, Olivier & Gautier, Erwan & Gorodnichenko, Yuriy, 2022. "No firm is an island? How industry conditions shape firms’ expectations," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 40-56.
    3. Marianna Riggi & Alex Tagliabracci, 2022. "Price rigidities, input costs, and inflation expectations: understanding firms’ pricing decisions from micro data," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 733, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inflation expectations; Monetary non-neutrality; Rational inattention; Menu costs; Multi-product firms; Economies of scope;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E37 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E70 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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