Discussion Papers no. 110

The volatility of oil wealth under uncertainty about parameter values

Aslaksen et al. (1990) concluded that the petroleum wealth of Norway, and hence the permanent income from petroleum extraction, was as uncertain as the yearly oil revenues. Their conclusion was based on wealth estimates using official price projections, with no independent empirical analysis of the oil price process. In this paper the wealth estimates are based on an empirical analysis of the oil prices. We find that the best estimate of the roots of the price process indicates a more stable wealth than the conclusions in Aslaksen et al. (1990) indicated. If we introduce a possible shift in the price process at the time of OPEC I in 1974, the price shift in OPEC II, has an indirect effect on petroleum wealth through its influence on the best parameter estimate. This indirect effect is considerable, and the main conclusions from Aslaksen et al. (1990) are maintained in spite of the low roots.

Om publikasjonen

Tittel

The volatility of oil wealth under uncertainty about parameter values

Ansvarlige

Kjell Arne Brekke, Pål Børing

Serie og -nummer

Discussion Papers no. 110

Utgiver

Statistics Norway, Research Department

Emne

Discussion Papers

Antall sider

24 bl.

Målform

Engelsk

Om Discussion Papers

Discussion papers comprise research papers intended for international journals and books. A preprint of a Discussion Paper may be longer and more elaborate than a standard journal article as it may include intermediate calculations, background material etc.

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