Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking
Опубликовано на портале: 22-10-2007
John Shea
Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking.
1997.
Vol. 27.
No. 3.
P. 798-805.
This note conducts a simple test for myopia and liquidity constraints in aggregate
U.S. consumption. The test exploits the fact that, under myopia, consumption should
be equally sensitive to predictable income declines and increases, while under liquidity
constraints consumption should be more sensitive to predictable income increases
than to declines. Using quarterly postwar data, the author shows that aggregate consumption
is in fact more sensitive to predictable income declines than increases. This 'perverse
asymmetry' is inconsistent with both myopia and liquidity constraints but is qualitatively
consistent with recent theoretical work incorporating loss aversion into intertemporal
preferences

