Capital Flows, Consumption Booms and Asset Bubbles: A Behavioural Alternative to the Savings Glut Hypothesis /

Bernanke (2005) hypothesized that a "global savings glut" was causing large trade imbalances. However, we show that the global savings rates did not show a robust upward trend during the relevant period. Moreover, if there had been a global savings glut there should have been a large inve...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Weitere Titel:
Capital Flows, Consumption Booms and Asset Bubbles
1. Verfasser:
Laibson, David
Körperschaft:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Weitere Verfasser:
Mollerstrom, Johanna
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2010.
Zusammenfassung:
Bernanke (2005) hypothesized that a "global savings glut" was causing large trade imbalances. However, we show that the global savings rates did not show a robust upward trend during the relevant period. Moreover, if there had been a global savings glut there should have been a large investment boom in the countries that imported capital. Instead, those countries experienced consumption booms. National asset bubbles explain the international imbalances. The bubbles raised consumption, resulting in large trade deficits. In a sample of 18 OECD countries plus China, movements in home prices alone explain half of the variation in trade deficits.
Umfang:
1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
Anmerkungen:
February 2010.
Schlagworte: