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Horizon-Dependent Risk Aversion and the Timing and Pricing of Uncertainty

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Abstract

Inspired by experimental evidence, we amend the recursive utility model to let risk aversion decrease with the temporal horizon. Our pseudo-recursive preferences remain tractable and retain appealing features of the long-run risk framework, notably its success at explaining asset pricing moments. In addition, our model addresses two challenges to the standard model. Calibrating the agents’ preferences to explain the equity premium no longer implies an extreme preference for early resolutions of uncertainty. Horizondependent risk aversion helps resolve key puzzles in finance on the valuation of assets across maturities and captures the term structure of equity risk premia and its dynamics.

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  • Marianne Andries & Thomas M. Eisenbach & Martin C. Schmalz, 2014. "Horizon-Dependent Risk Aversion and the Timing and Pricing of Uncertainty," Staff Reports 703, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fednsr:703
    Note: Revised July 2023. Previous title: "Asset Pricing with Horizon-Dependent Risk Aversion".
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrei S. Gonçalves, 2021. "Reinvestment Risk and the Equity Term Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(5), pages 2153-2197, October.
    2. Veronica Cappelli & Simone Cerreia-Vioglio & Fabio Maccheroni & Massimo Marinacci & Stefania Minardi, 2021. "Sources of Uncertainty and Subjective Prices," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(2), pages 872-912.
    3. Croce, Mariano & Ai, Hengjie & Li, Kai & Diercks, Anthony, 2018. "News Shocks and the Production-Based Term Structure of Equity Returns," CEPR Discussion Papers 12661, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Weber, Michael, 2018. "Cash flow duration and the term structure of equity returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(3), pages 486-503.
    5. Eisenbach, Thomas M. & Schmalz, Martin C., 2016. "Anxiety in the face of risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 414-426.
    6. Matthijs Breugem & Stefano Colonnello & Roberto Marfè & Francesca Zucchi, 2020. "Dynamic Equity Slope," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 626, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
      • Matthijs Breugem & Stefano Colonello & Roberto Marfè & Francesca Zucchi, 2020. "Dynamic Equity Slope," Working Papers 2020:21, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    7. Marianne Andries & Thomas M. Eisenbach & R. Jay Kahn & Martin C. Schmalz, 2015. "The term structure of the price of variance risk," Staff Reports 736, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    8. Matthijs Breugem & Stefano Colonnello & Roberto Marfè & Francesca Zucchi, 2020. "Dynamic Equity Slope," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 626, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    9. Myroslav Pidkuyko & Raffaele Rossi & Klaus Reiner Schenk-Hoppé, 2019. "The Resolution of Long-Run Risk," Economics Discussion Paper Series 1908, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    10. van Binsbergen, Jules H. & Koijen, Ralph S.J., 2017. "The term structure of returns: Facts and theory," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 1-21.
    11. Matthijs Breugem & Roberto Marfè & Francesca Zucchi, 2020. "Corporate Policies and the Term Structure of Risk," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 627, Collegio Carlo Alberto.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    risk aversion; early resolution; term structures; volatility risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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