Estimating the Dynamics of Consumption Growth

We estimate models of consumption growth that allow for long-run risks and disasters using data for a series of countries over a time span of 200 years. Our estimates indicate that a model with small and frequent disasters that arrive at a mean-reverting rate best fits international consumption data. The implied posterior disaster intensity in such a model predicts equity returns without compromising the unpredictability of consumption growth. It also generates time-varying excess stock volatility, empirically validating key economic mechanisms often assumed in consumption-based asset pricing models.