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Inelastic Demand Meets Optimal Supply of Risky Sovereign Bonds

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  • Moretti,Matías
  • Pandolfi,Lorenzo
  • Schmukler,Sergio L.
  • Villegas Bauer,Germán
  • Williams,Tomás

Abstract

This paper presents evidence of inelastic demand in the market for risky sovereign bonds and examines its interplay with government policies. The methodology combines bond-level evidence with a structural model featuring endogenous bond issuances and default risk. Empirically, the paper exploits monthly changes in the composition of a major bond index to identify flow shocks that shift the available bond supply and are unrelated to country fundamentals. The paper finds that a 1 percentage point reduction in the available supply increases bond prices by 33 basis points. Although exogenous, these shocks might influence government policies and expected bond payoffs. The paper identifies a structural demand elasticity by feeding the estimated price reactions into a sovereign debt model that isolates endogenous government responses. These responses account for a third of the estimated price reactions. By penalizing additional borrowing, inelastic demand acts as a commitment dev ice that reduces default risk.

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  • Moretti,Matías & Pandolfi,Lorenzo & Schmukler,Sergio L. & Villegas Bauer,Germán & Williams,Tomás, 2024. "Inelastic Demand Meets Optimal Supply of Risky Sovereign Bonds," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10735, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10735
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    JEL classification:

    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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