On the importance of sequencing of markets in monetary economies

Abstract

This paper studies money as working capital in a general equilibrium model. We argue that the way transactions are settled is the main determinant of the presence or lack of working capital in a cash-in-advance economy. In a production cycle, if the wage payments are made before sales proceeds are collected, firms have a financing need. This need alone brings, in a long run equilibrium, a deviation of real wages from marginal product of labor due to a ‘working capital premium’ in output prices. In contrast, if sales revenues can be collected before production costs are paid, then the working capital premium vanishes. These results are obtained in an economy with borrowing constraints, full equity financing, and optimal dividend policy.