I study how trading motives in asset markets affect equilibrium outcomes and welfare. I focus on two types of trading motives - informational and allocational. I show that while a fully separating equilibrium is the unique equilibrium when trading motives are known, multiple equilibria exist...

This paper examines how multidimensional private information by asset sellers affects market equilibrium. I find that when asset quality is the only source of private information, sellers with high-quality assets signal their quality to buyers through partial retention of assets if and only if...

Monetary models overwhelmingly feature a particular asset, "money", as the medium of exchange in an economy. However, the adoption of a medium of exchange is endogenous and subject to changes if conditions favor a different asset. We study the liquidity role of a real asset that is subject to...

This paper develops a simple competitive search model to study illiquidity and partial retention of assets as signals of asset quality in markets with private information. I find that both signals are used in equilibrium. However, for sellers with high-quality assets, illiquidity is preferred...