Comparing Different Regulatory Measures to Control Stock Market Volatility: A General Equilibrium Analysis

In this paper, we compare the effects of different regulatory measures used to reduce excess volatility of stock-market returns, which is generated by investors trading on sentiment. The regulatory measures we study are the Tobin tax, shortsale constraints, and leverage constraints. The main contribution of our research is to evaluate these regulatory measures within the same dynamic, stochastic general equilibrium model of a production economy, so that one can compare both the direct and indirect effects of the different measures on the financial and real sectors within the same economic setting.