The Money Multiplier and Asset Returns

Abstract

In this paper I study the relationship between aggregate money balances and subsequent stock and bond returns. I find that levels of broad money multipliers (the ratios of broad money to narrow money) forecast future returns with a negative sign, while changes in these multipliers forecast returns with a positive sign. These findings indicate that levels of multipliers are pro-cyclical: like the P/D ratio, they tend to be high at times of low expected returns. The dynamics of these multipliers may also indicate changes in the volume of financial intermediation and the level of net leverage, consistent with credit-cycle theories of macroeconomic fluctuations.