Download This PaperA Theory of the Term Structure of Interest Rates under Limited Household Risk Sharing
71 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2019 Last revised: 1 Dec 2023
Date Written: November 30, 2023
Abstract
We present a theory in which the interaction between limited sharing of idiosyncratic labor income risk and labor adjustment costs (that endogenously arise through search frictions) determines interest rate dynamics. In the general equilibrium, the interaction of these two ingredients relates bond risk premia, cross-sectional skewness of income growth, and labor market tightness. Our model rationalizes an upward sloping average yield curve and predicts a negative relation between labor market tightness and bond risk premia. We provide evidence for our theory's mechanism and predictions.
Keywords: Interest Rates, Nondiversifiable Labor Income Risk, Labor Market Frictions, Bond Risk Premia
JEL Classification: E24, E43, E44, G12, J64
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation