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Stock Market Development and Cross-Country Differences in Relative Prices

Borja Larrain

The Review of Economics and Statistics 2010

We document a positive correlation between stock market capitalization and price levels (wages) within the group of countries with poorly developed stock markets and a negative correlation between these two variables within the group of countries with more developed stock markets. This paper argues that there is a causal relationship behind these correlations. Stock markets initially stimulate growth, pushing the demand for nontradables and increasing prices and wages. Stock markets also promote a shift toward more capital-intensive technologies in the tradable sector, increasing the migration of workers to services and eventually putting downward pressure on wages and prices.

DOI
10.1162/rest_a_00030
Volume
92 (4)
Pages
784-797
Language
en
Export
BibTeX
Sources
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