What Makes US Government Bonds Safe Assets?
American Economic Review
vol. 106,
no. 5, May 2016
(pp. 519-23)
Abstract
US government bonds are considered to be the world's safe store of value, especially during periods of economic turmoil such as the events of 2008. But what makes US government bonds "safe assets"? We highlight coordination among investors, and build a model in which two countries with heterogeneous sizes issue bonds that may be chosen as safe asset. Our model illustrates the benefit of a large absolute debt size as safe asset investors have "nowhere else to go" in equilibrium, and the large country's bonds are chosen as the safe asset. Moreover, the effect becomes stronger in crisis periods.Citation
He, Zhiguo, Arvind Krishnamurthy, and Konstantin Milbradt. 2016. "What Makes US Government Bonds Safe Assets?" American Economic Review, 106 (5): 519-23. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20161109Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- E32 Business Fluctuations; Cycles
- E43 Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
- H63 National Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt