Investors’ average level of risk aversion rises after serious crises: What consequences?
Serious crises, and this will definitely be the case for the COVID crisis, give rise to an increase in the average level of risk aversion in financial markets. Consequently: Risk premia (equities, corporate bonds) are higher; If central banks want to avoid the same development for government bonds, they have to increase their bond purchases; Economic agents increase their cash holdings; There is a search for safe-haven assets: after the subprime crisis, the dollar; currently gold and bitcoin.