The House Price Channel of Quantitative Easing

Abstract

I study the transmission mechanism of Quantitative Easing (QE) in the form of large-scale asset purchases in the mortgage market to aggregate consumption. To this end, I develop a New Keynesian model that features heterogeneous households, a microfounded housing market, and frictional intermediation. This model helps explain the empirical evidence suggesting that QE increases aggregate consumption by raising house prices. I find that higher house prices account for around half of QE’s stimulative effects, with higher labor income contributing the remaining half.