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Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 101 No. 3 2011

Explaining asset pricing puzzles associated with the 1987 market crash

Luca Benzoni1; Pierre Collin-Dufresne; Robert S. Goldstein2

1 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago · 2 University of Minnesota

open access

Abstract

The 1987 market crash was associated with a dramatic and permanent steepening of the implied volatility curve for equity index options, despite minimal changes in aggregate consumption. We explain these events within a general equilibrium framework in which expected endowment growth and economic uncertainty are subject to rare jumps. The arrival of a jump triggers the updating of agents' beliefs about the likelihood of future jumps, which produces a market crash and a permanent shift in option prices. Consumption and dividends remain smooth, and the model is consistent with salient features of individual stock options, equity returns, and interest rates.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2011.01.008
Volume
101
Issue
3
Pages
552-573
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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