Trade in Risky Assets

45 Pages Posted: 6 Apr 2007 Last revised: 28 Jul 2022

See all articles by Lars E. O. Svensson

Lars E. O. Svensson

Stockholm School of Economics; Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: October 1987

Abstract

This paper develops a theory of the international trade pattern in risky assets by applying the law of comparative advantage to asset trade. According to this law there is a tendency for a country to import assets that have relatively high autarky prices. The autarky price of an asset is high if the autarky real interest rate is low, or if the asset's autarky risk measure (the product of the risk premium and the asset price) is low. It is examined how autarky interest rates and risk measures are affected by international differences in (i) stochastic properties of output/endowment s , (ii) the rate of time preference, (iii) the degree of risk aversion, and (iv) subjective beliefs, and how such differences predict overall capital account deficits or surpluses as well as the composition of the capital account into trade in arbitrary risky assets and the special cases of sure indexed bonds, stocks (claims to output), and Arrow- Debreu securities.

Suggested Citation

Svensson, Lars E.O., Trade in Risky Assets (October 1987). NBER Working Paper No. w2403, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=977432

Lars E.O. Svensson (Contact Author)

Stockholm School of Economics ( email )

PO Box 6501
Stockholm, 11383
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://larseosvensson.se

Stockholm University - Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) ( email )

Stockholm, SE-10691
Sweden

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom