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Firm Expectations and News: Micro v Macro

Author

Listed:
  • Born, Benjamin
  • Enders, Zeno
  • Menkhoff, Manuel
  • Müller, Gernot
  • Niemann, Knut

Abstract

To shed light on the expectation formation of firms, we use firm-level data and examine how expectations adjust to news. We classify news as either micro (firm-specific developments) or macro (information about the aggregate economy). Analyzing survey data from Italian and German firms, we consistently find that expectations overreact to micro news but underreact to macro news. Our empirical specification is based on a stylized model of `island illusion,' because of which firms systematically underestimate the importance of aggregate developments for their own performance. This illusion has aggregate implications, which we derive by embedding it into the canonical noisy-information model.

Suggested Citation

  • Born, Benjamin & Enders, Zeno & Menkhoff, Manuel & Müller, Gernot & Niemann, Knut, 2022. "Firm Expectations and News: Micro v Macro," CEPR Discussion Papers 17768, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:17768
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    2. Sebastian Blesse & Florian Buhlmann & Philipp Heil & Davud Rostam-Afschar, 2025. "Local Policy Misperceptions and Investment: Experimental Evidence from Firm Decision Makers," CESifo Working Paper Series 11855, CESifo.
    3. Schmidt, Torsten & Müller, Henrik & Rieger, Jonas & Schmidt, Tobias & Jentsch, Carsten, 2023. "Inflation perception and the formation of inflation expectations," Ruhr Economic Papers 1025, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Aktuğ, Emrehan & Rezghi, Abolfazl, 2025. "Asymmetric overreaction," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    5. Balleer, Almut & Noeller, Marvin, 2023. "Monetary policy in the presence of supply constraints: Evidence from German firm-level data," Ruhr Economic Papers 1060, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Gemmi, Luca & Valchev, Rosen, 2026. "Biased surveys," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    7. Almut Balleer & Marvin Noeller, 2023. "Monetary Policy in the Presence of Supply Constraints: Evidence from German Firm-Level Data," CESifo Working Paper Series 10261, CESifo.
    8. Chan, Jenny, 2024. "Monetary policy and sentiment-driven fluctuations," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    9. Jenny Chan, 2024. "Monetary policy and sentiment-driven fluctuations," Bank of England Staff Working Paper series 1106, Bank of England.
    10. Francesco Bianchi & Cosmin L. Ilut & Hikaru Saijo, 2024. "Smooth Diagnostic Expectations," NBER Working Papers 32152, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Nöller, Marvin & Balleer, Almut, 2023. "Monetary Policy in the Presence of Supply Constraints: Evidence from German Firm-level Data," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277638, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Adrian Monninger & Kyung Woong Koh & Tao Wang, 2026. "Seeing the Economy through Colored Glasses: Partisanship in Macro and (not in) Micro Expectations," Staff Working Papers 26-24, Bank of Canada.
    13. Lukas Hack & Davud Rostam-Afschar, 2024. "Understanding Firm Dynamics with Daily Data," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2024_593, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    14. Robert Lehmann, 2023. "The Forecasting Power of the ifo Business Survey," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 19(1), pages 43-94, March.
    15. Petre Caraiani & Nazli Karamollaoglu & Cihan Yalcin, 2025. "Financial Conditions, Uncertainty and Expectations Errors of Firms," Working Papers 2515, Research and Monetary Policy Department, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
    16. Dovern, Jonas & Müller, Lena Sophia & Wohlrabe, Klaus, 2023. "Local information and firm expectations about aggregates," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 1-13.
    17. Daria Minina & Gabriele Galati & Richhild Moessner & Maarten van Rooij, 2024. "The effect of information on consumer inflation expectations," Working Papers 810, DNB.
    18. Zaremba, Adam & Cakici, Nusret & Bianchi, Robert J. & Long, Huaigang, 2023. "Interest rate changes and the cross-section of global equity returns," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • E71 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on the Macro Economy

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