Asset Pricing with Left-Skewed Long-Run Risk in Durable Consumption

Abstract

I document that durable consumption growth is persistent and predicted by the price-dividend ratio. This provides strong and direct evidence for the existence of a highly persistent expected component. I also document robust evidence that durable consumption growth is left skewed and exhibits time-varying volatility. Based on these empirical properties, I model durable consumption growth as containing a persistent expected component and driven by shocks with counter-cyclical volatility. I embed the durable consumption growth dynamics and random walk nondurable consumption growth in nonseparable Epstein-Zin preferences, and model dividend growth as a levered claim on the expected component of durable consumption growth. The resulting model can explain a number of asset pricing phenomena, including pro-cyclical price-dividend ratios, large and counter-cyclical equity premia and stock return volatilities, low and smooth risk-free rates, and the predictability of stock returns. The model also generates the volatility feedback effect and an upward sloping term structure of real bond yields.