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Stock Market Participation, Inequality, and Monetary Policy

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  • Davide Melcangi
  • Vincent Sterk

Abstract

Recent literature has shown that the fraction of liquidity-constrained households in the population critically determines the mix of transmission channels of monetary policy. In this article, we bring a different but important dimension of heterogeneity to the forefront: stock market participation. We show that the stock market participation rate not only shapes the mix of policy channels but also heavily affects the aggregate responses. This happens as direct rebalancing effects and indirect equilibrium effects into investment are both increasing in the number of stock market participants, reinforcing each other. We show this in a quantitative New Keynesian model designed to account for the population share of stock market participants, their position in the income and wealth distribution, and their saving rates. The model implies that, as stock market participation has increased since the 1980s, the power of monetary policy on the real economy has strengthened considerably.

Suggested Citation

  • Davide Melcangi & Vincent Sterk, 2025. "Stock Market Participation, Inequality, and Monetary Policy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 92(4), pages 2656-2690.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:restud:v:92:y:2025:i:4:p:2656-2690.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/restud/rdae068
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    Cited by:

    1. Sebastian Doerr & Thomas Drechsel & Donggyu Lee, 2021. "Income inequality, financial intermediation, and small firms," BIS Working Papers 944, Bank for International Settlements.
    2. Hetzel, Robert, 2020. "COVID-19 and the Fed’s Monetary Policy," Working Papers 10839, George Mason University, Mercatus Center.
    3. Doerr, Sebastian & Drechsel, Thomas & Lee, Donggyu, 2022. "Income Inequality and Job Creation," CEPR Discussion Papers 17342, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Matusche, Alexander & Wacks, Johannes, 2023. "Does wealth inequality affect the transmission of monetary policy?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    5. Li, Mingzhe, 2025. "A Theory of Portfolio Choice for Heterogeneous Investors," MPRA Paper 126642, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 29 Oct 2025.
    6. Juan M. Morelli, 2021. "Limited Participation in Equity Markets and Business Cycles," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2021-026, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    7. Naubert, Christopher, 2019. "Monetary Policy and Redistribution: A Look under the Hatch with TANK," CEPR Discussion Papers 14159, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Rohan Kekre & Moritz Lenel, 2022. "Monetary Policy, Redistribution, and Risk Premia," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(5), pages 2249-2282, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E50 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - General
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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