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Credit Market Freezes

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  • Efraim Benmelech
  • Nittai K. Bergman

Abstract

Credit market freezes in which debt issuance declines dramatically and market liquidity evaporates are typically observed during financial crises. In the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the structured credit market froze, issuance of corporate bonds declined, and secondary credit markets became highly illiquid. In this paper, we analyze liquidity in bond markets during financial crises and compare two main theories of liquidity in markets: (1) asymmetric information and adverse selection, and (2) heterogenous beliefs. Analyzing the 1873 financial crisis as well as the 2008-2009 crisis, we find that when bond value deteriorates, bond illiquidity increases, consistent with an adverse-selection model of the information sensitivity of debt contracts. While we show that the adverse-selection model of debt liquidity explains a large portion of the rise in illiquidity, we find little support for the hypothesis that opinion dispersion explains illiquidity in financial crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Efraim Benmelech & Nittai K. Bergman, 2018. "Credit Market Freezes," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(1), pages 493-526.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:macann:doi:10.1086/696065
    DOI: 10.1086/696065
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    Cited by:

    1. V. V. Chari, 2017. "Comment on "Credit Market Freezes"," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2017, volume 32, pages 527-536, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Efraim Benmelech & Nittai Bergman, 2018. "Debt, Information, and Illiquidity," NBER Working Papers 25054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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