IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/bdm/wpaper/2014-02.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Consumption of Durable Goods under Ambiguity

Author

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to analyze the effect that ambiguity will have on the buyer's reservation price and the value of the option to purchase the durable good with an embedded option to resell it. The agent is assumed to be risk neutral and ambiguity averse. The problem is formulated as an optimal stopping problem with multiple priors in continuous time with infinite horizon. Uncertainty comes from prices, which is summarized in a state variable that follows a Brownian motion. Preferences have a multiple-prior utility representation where the set of priors consist of a family of Brownian motions with unknown drift and common variance. We show that the direction of the change in the buyer's reservation price depends on the parametrization of the model and that the value of the embedded option is decreasing in the perceived level of ambiguity.

Suggested Citation

  • Moreno Othón M., 2014. "Consumption of Durable Goods under Ambiguity," Working Papers 2014-02, Banco de México.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdm:wpaper:2014-02
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.banxico.org.mx/publications-and-press/banco-de-mexico-working-papers/%7B10F0C59A-2CB9-F8FF-9633-21A6F22D83D8%7D.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frank Riedel, 2009. "Optimal Stopping With Multiple Priors," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 77(3), pages 857-908, May.
    2. Boyarchenko, Svetlana & Levendorskii[caron], Sergei, 2007. "Optimal stopping made easy," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 201-217, February.
    3. Epstein, Larry G. & Schneider, Martin, 2003. "Recursive multiple-priors," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 1-31, November.
    4. Lars Peter Hansen & Thomas J Sargent, 2014. "Robust Control and Model Uncertainty," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: UNCERTAINTY WITHIN ECONOMIC MODELS, chapter 5, pages 145-154, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    5. Nishimura, Kiyohiko G. & Ozaki, Hiroyuki, 2007. "Irreversible investment and Knightian uncertainty," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 668-694, September.
    6. Avinash K. Dixit & Robert S. Pindyck, 1994. "Investment under Uncertainty," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 5474.
    7. Nishimura, Kiyohiko G. & Ozaki, Hiroyuki, 2004. "Search and Knightian uncertainty," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 119(2), pages 299-333, December.
    8. Klibanoff, Peter & Marinacci, Massimo & Mukerji, Sujoy, 2009. "Recursive smooth ambiguity preferences," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 144(3), pages 930-976, May.
    9. Lars Peter Hansen & Thomas J Sargent, 2014. "Robust Control and Model Misspecification," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: UNCERTAINTY WITHIN ECONOMIC MODELS, chapter 6, pages 155-216, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    10. Gilboa, Itzhak & Schmeidler, David, 1989. "Maxmin expected utility with non-unique prior," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 141-153, April.
    11. Lars Peter Hansen & Thomas J Sargent, 2014. "Doubts or Variability?," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: UNCERTAINTY WITHIN ECONOMIC MODELS, chapter 7, pages 217-256, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Svetlana Boyarchenko & Sergei Levendorskii, 2007. "Irreversible Decisions under Uncertainty," Studies in Economic Theory, Springer, number 978-3-540-73746-9, January.
    13. Ghirardato, Paolo & Maccheroni, Fabio & Marinacci, Massimo, 2004. "Differentiating ambiguity and ambiguity attitude," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 118(2), pages 133-173, October.
    14. Bayraktar, Erhan & Yao, Song, 2011. "Optimal stopping for non-linear expectations--Part II," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 212-264, February.
    15. Epstein, Larry G & Wang, Tan, 1994. "Intertemporal Asset Pricing Under Knightian Uncertainty," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(2), pages 283-322, March.
    16. Robert McDonald & Daniel Siegel, 1986. "The Value of Waiting to Invest," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 101(4), pages 707-727.
    17. Schmeidler, David, 1989. "Subjective Probability and Expected Utility without Additivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(3), pages 571-587, May.
    18. Erhan Bayraktar & Song Yao, 2009. "Optimal Stopping for Non-linear Expectations," Papers 0905.3601, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2011.
    19. Boyarchenko, Svetlana & Levendorskii, Sergei, 2010. "Optimal stopping in Levy models, for non-monotone discontinuous payoffs," MPRA Paper 27999, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gao, Yongling & Driouchi, Tarik & Bennett, David J., 2018. "Ambiguity aversion in buyer-seller relationships: A contingent-claims and social network explanation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 50-67.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Miao, Jianjun & Wang, Neng, 2011. "Risk, uncertainty, and option exercise," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 442-461, April.
    2. Hackbarth, Dirk & Miao, Jianjun, 2012. "The dynamics of mergers and acquisitions in oligopolistic industries," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 585-609.
    3. Paul Viefers, 2012. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?: A Laboratory Analysis of Investment Opportunities under Ambiguity," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1228, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    4. Massimo Guidolin & Francesca Rinaldi, 2013. "Ambiguity in asset pricing and portfolio choice: a review of the literature," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 183-217, February.
    5. Yu‐Jui Huang & Xiang Yu, 2021. "Optimal stopping under model ambiguity: A time‐consistent equilibrium approach," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 979-1012, July.
    6. Kast, Robert & Lapied, André & Roubaud, David, 2014. "Modelling under ambiguity with dynamically consistent Choquet random walks and Choquet–Brownian motions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 495-503.
    7. Eisei Ohtaki, 2023. "Optimality in an OLG model with nonsmooth preferences," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 19(3), pages 611-659, September.
    8. Soren Christensen & Luis H. R. Alvarez E, 2019. "A Solvable Two-dimensional Optimal Stopping Problem in the Presence of Ambiguity," Papers 1905.05429, arXiv.org.
    9. Volker Krätschmer & Marcel Ladkau & Roger J. A. Laeven & John G. M. Schoenmakers & Mitja Stadje, 2018. "Optimal Stopping Under Uncertainty in Drift and Jump Intensity," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 43(4), pages 1177-1209, November.
    10. Hansen, Lars Peter & Sargent, Thomas J., 2022. "Structured ambiguity and model misspecification," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    11. Nengjiu Ju & Jianjun Miao, 2012. "Ambiguity, Learning, and Asset Returns," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 80(2), pages 559-591, March.
    12. Simon Quemin, 2016. "Intertemporal abatement decisions under ambiguity aversion in a cap and trade," Working Papers 1604, Chaire Economie du climat.
    13. Philipp Strack & Paul Viefers, 2021. "Too Proud to Stop: Regret in Dynamic Decisions," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 165-199.
    14. Daniele Pennesi, 2013. "Asset Prices in an Ambiguous Economy," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 315, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    15. Spyros Galanis, 2021. "Dynamic consistency, valuable information and subjective beliefs," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 71(4), pages 1467-1497, June.
    16. Saghafian, Soroush, 2018. "Ambiguous partially observable Markov decision processes: Structural results and applications," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 1-35.
    17. Luis H. R. Alvarez E. & Soren Christensen, 2019. "A Class of Solvable Multidimensional Stopping Problems in the Presence of Knightian Uncertainty," Papers 1907.04046, arXiv.org.
    18. Kishishita, Daiki, 2020. "(Not) delegating decisions to experts: The effect of uncertainty," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    19. Georgalos, Konstantinos, 2021. "Dynamic decision making under ambiguity: An experimental investigation," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 28-46.
    20. Luis H. R. Alvarez E. & Soren Christensen, 2019. "The Impact of Ambiguity on the Optimal Exercise Timing of Integral Option Contracts," Papers 1906.07533, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bdm:wpaper:2014-02. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Subgerencia de desarrollo de sistemas (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bangvmx.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.