📅 2023-05-26 — Session: Critique and Analysis of Gabaix’s Volatility Model

🕒 10:25–11:30
🏷️ Labels: Gabaix, Idiosyncratic Volatility, Hyperbolic Functions, Economic Theory, Thesis Review
📂 Project: Business
⭐ Priority: MEDIUM

Session Goal: The session aimed to critically analyze Xavier Gabaix’s (2011) proposition regarding the relationship between idiosyncratic volatility and population size, and to explore mathematical transformations related to hyperbolic functions.

Key Activities:

  • Conducted a critique of Gabaix’s model, focusing on the assumptions of linearization, uniform variance, and generalization from the Herfindahl index.
  • Proposed methodologies for further investigation into the relationship between idiosyncratic variance and population size.
  • Engaged in mathematical derivations and transformations involving hyperbolic functions, specifically deriving expressions for hyperbolic sine and transforming expressions using hyperbolic identities.
  • Reviewed a thesis section on agent aggregation and log-normal distributions, providing feedback for clarity and accessibility.

Achievements:

  • Clarified potential overgeneralizations in Gabaix’s model and identified areas for further empirical research.
  • Successfully derived and transformed mathematical expressions involving hyperbolic functions.
  • Provided constructive feedback on a thesis section, enhancing its clarity and presentation.

Pending Tasks:

  • Further empirical investigation into Gabaix’s claims about idiosyncratic volatility and population size.
  • Outreach to research groups for insights into covariance matrices and non-linear transformations.