Working Paper

An estimation of economic models with recursive preferences

Authors

Xiaohong Chen, Jack Favilukis, Sydney Ludvigson

Published Date

15 October 2012

Type

Working Paper (CWP32/12)

This paper presents estimates of key preference parameters of the Epstein and Zin (1989, 1991) and Weil (1989) (EZW) recursive utility model, evaluates the models ability to fit asset return data relative to other asset pricing models, and investigates the implications of such estimates for the unobservable aggregate wealth return. Our empirical results indicate that the estimated relative risk aversion parameter ranges from 17-60, with higher values for aggregate consumption than for stockholder consumption, while the estimated elasticity of intertemporal substitution is above one. In addition, the estimated model-implied aggregate wealth return is found to be weakly correlated with the CRSP value-weighted stock market return, suggesting that the return to human wealth is negatively correlated with the aggregate stock market return.


Latest version

An estimation of economic models with recursive preferences
Xiaohong Chen, Jack Favilukis, Sydney Ludvigson
CWP