How important are volatility fluctuations for asset prices and the macroeconomy? We find that a rise in macroeconomic volatility is associated with a rise in discount rates and a decline in consumption. To study the impact of volatility we provide a framework in which cashflow, discount-rate,...

We show that volatility movements have first-order implications for consumption dynamics and asset prices. Volatility news affects the stochastic discount factor and carries a separate risk premium. In the data, volatility risks are persistent and are strongly correlated with discount-rate news....