The Effects of Cryptocurrency Wealth on Household Consumption and Investment

Abstract

This paper uses transaction-level bank and credit card data to identify cryptocurrency investors and assess the impact of crypto wealth fluctuations on household consumption, as well as on investments in other assets. We find an $0.09 MPC from crypto gains, exceeding most previous estimates from unrealized equity gains. However, crypto investors are mostly also active equity investors, with many similar consumption patterns across gains from both asset classes. Households sell cryptocurrencies to increase discretionary and housing expenditures, with the latter causing local house price appreciation.