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Policy on the margin: Evaluating the impact of margin debt requirements on stock valuations

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  • Christian Weller

Abstract

Rapidly rising stock prices in the 1990s raised worries about potential inflationary or destabilizing effects. The use of initial margin debt requirements by the Federal Reserve was proposed to reduce the run-up in stock prices. This paper evaluates the likely impact of margin debt requirements on stock valuations. The results suggest that higher margin requirements would have had no impact on stock market valuations in the 1990s, Moreover, other forms of consumer credit are relatively more important in determining household equity positions than margin debt, making the control of margin debt not an obvious public policy choice.(JEL E58, G18) Copyright Springer 2002

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Weller, 2002. "Policy on the margin: Evaluating the impact of margin debt requirements on stock valuations," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 26(1), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jecfin:v:26:y:2002:i:1:p:1-15
    DOI: 10.1007/BF02744448
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. John H. Huston & Roger W. Spencer, 2009. "Speculative excess and the Federal Reserve's response," Studies in Economics and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(1), pages 46-61, March.
    2. Domian, Dale L. & Racine, Marie D., 2006. "An empirical analysis of margin debt," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 151-163.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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