American Economic Journal:
Macroeconomics
ISSN 1945-7707 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7715 (Online)
Optimal Capital Requirements over the Business and Financial Cycles
American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics
vol. 12,
no. 3, July 2020
(pp. 139–74)
Abstract
I study economies where banks do not fully internalize the social costs of their lending decisions, which leads to real overinvestment. The bank capital requirement that restores investment efficiency varies over time. During booms, more investment is desirable, so the banking sector must be allowed to expand. This suggests a loosening of the requirement. However, there is also more bank capital. Since the banking sector exhibits decreasing returns to scale, this suggests a tightening instead. I find that the latter effect, which I dub the "bank capital channel," dominates: the optimal capital requirement is tighter during booms than in recessions.Citation
Malherbe, Frederic. 2020. "Optimal Capital Requirements over the Business and Financial Cycles." American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 12 (3): 139–74. DOI: 10.1257/mac.20160140Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- E32 Business Fluctuations; Cycles
- E44 Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
- G21 Banks; Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
- G28 Financial Institutions and Services: Government Policy and Regulation
- G32 Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
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