Week 5 - Uncertainty and the Current Account Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Week 5 - Uncertainty and the Current Account Deck (13)
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1
Q

What is a common measure of uncertainty?

A

The standard deviation of a variable.

2
Q

What was the great moderation

A

A period where volatility of US output declined significantly

3
Q

How has the standard deviation of output growth changed in the US between 1947-1983 and 1984-2015?

A

The volatility of US output over time has declined significantly with the decline starting in 1984

4
Q

What happened to the CA/OUTPUT ratio before and after the great moderation?

A

Before the great moderation the US ran a +ve CA/GDP ratio, and then after ran a negative CA/GDP ratio.

5
Q

When modelling uncertainty what do we assume about the endowments?

A

We assume constant endowments Q1=Q2=Q

6
Q

When modelling uncertainty what do we assume about initial asset holding Bo, and the interest rate r?

A

Bo=0 and interest rate r=0

7
Q

What do we assume our utility function to be when modelling uncertainty?

A

U(C1,C2)= ln C1 + 1/2 ln(2Q + Theta - C1) + 1/2ln(2Q- Theta - C1)

8
Q

What do we derive C2 to be equal to?

A

What do we derive C2 to be equal to?

9
Q

After substituting C2 into the utility function and taking FOC’s what do we find out?

A

We find out Q=C1

10
Q

What are the 2 forms uncertainty can take?

A
  1. Q+ Theta ( This is an economy in a good state, where theta is a positive number )
  2. Q - Theta ( Economy in a bad state)
11
Q

What is the standard deviation of Theta (Uncertainty)

A

What is the standard deviation of Theta (Uncertainty)

12
Q

What is the expected consumption in period 2 equal to after taking into account uncertainty?

A
  1. C2= 2Q + Theta - C1

2. C2= 2Q - Theta - C1

13
Q

After taking into account uncertainty and taking FOC’S what can we see:

A

We are able to see that Q=C1 no longer holds unless uncertainty = 0

This means C10, and CA1>0 as the extra Q not consumed will be exported and there will also be consumer saving so both TB and CA are +ve.