Financial volatility and the evolution of wealth inequality in Europe

Abstract

The study of wealth inequality poses some unique challenges that do not present themselves when studying income inequality. The main challenge is that the value of wealth is in constant flux and the net positive or negative variations across the different segments of the wealth distribution will have an impact on both wealth inequality and the welfare of households. While the volatility in financial markets is well known, its implications on wealth inequality deserve to be analyzed in greater detail. The objective of this study is to determine the consequences of financial volatility on both wealth inequality and household welfare in selected European countries. In order to properly grasp the impact of financial volatility on the distribution of wealth, we propose a typology of wealth inequality scenarios that incorporates changes in both relative wealth inequality and the absolute welfare of households. The scenario approach offers a synthetic way of understanding how the distribution of wealth changes over a given time period.