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Unobservable investments, trade efficiency and search frictions

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  • Yujing Xu

Abstract

Information structure can affect market efficiency by influencing participants' investment incentives. In this case, the entrants' type distribution and the market trade efficiency are both affected by the information structure, so they are jointly determined and correlated. In order to investigate the effects of asymmetric information, this paper uses a random search model of ex ante investments and trade efficiency, assuming that the amount of investment remains the investor's private information. I show that the ex ante payoffs are equivalent to the equilibrium payoffs when investments are observable. In the unique steady state equilibrium, non‐degenerate investment distribution and price distribution emerge simultaneously with ex ante identical agents. The investments motivated by unobservability fail to improve social welfare due to the mismatches caused by unobservability. Allocating positive bargaining power to investors alleviates the mismatch problem and improves social welfare. Investissements inobservables, efficacité opérationnelle et frictions de recherche. La structure de l'information peut modifier l'efficacité du marché en influençant l'encouragement à investir chez les participants. Dans ce cas, le type de distribution des entrants et l'efficacité du marché sont tous les deux touchés par la structure de l'information; ils sont donc déterminés et corrélés conjointement. Afin d'enquêter sur les effets de l'information asymétrique, l'article utilise un modèle de recherche aléatoire des investissements ex ante et de l'efficacité opérationnelle, en supposant que la somme de l'investissement demeure un renseignement confidentiel de l'investisseur. Je montre que les résultats à l'échéance ex ante sont équivalents aux résultats à l'échéance d'équilibre lorsque les investissements sont observables. Dans l'état d'équilibre stable unique, la distribution des prix et la distribution des investissements non décomposables émergent simultanément avec des agents identiques ex ante. Les investissements motivés par l'aspect inobservable n'arrivent pas à améliorer le bien‐être collectif en raison des discordances causées par cette absence d'observabilité. Attribuer un pouvoir de négociation positif aux investisseurs atténue le problème des discordances et améliore le bien‐être collectif.

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  • Yujing Xu, 2022. "Unobservable investments, trade efficiency and search frictions," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(2), pages 764-799, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:canjec:v:55:y:2022:i:2:p:764-799
    DOI: 10.1111/caje.12595
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