This paper analyzes the optimal portfolio and wealth/consumption policies of utility-maximizing investors who must manage market-risk exposure using a Value-at-Risk (VaR)-based risk management model. The authors find that VaR risk managers often choose larger exposure to risky assets than non-risk managers, leading to larger losses when they occur. They propose an alternative risk management model based on the expectation of a loss to address these shortcomings. A general-equilibrium analysis reveals that the presence of VaR risk managers in a pure-exchange economy amplifies stock-market volatility during downturns and attenuates it during up markets. The paper also discusses the implications of VaR-based risk management on stock-market price dynamics and provides insights into the large losses incurred by some banks and hedge funds during the 1998 stock-market downturn.This paper analyzes the optimal portfolio and wealth/consumption policies of utility-maximizing investors who must manage market-risk exposure using a Value-at-Risk (VaR)-based risk management model. The authors find that VaR risk managers often choose larger exposure to risky assets than non-risk managers, leading to larger losses when they occur. They propose an alternative risk management model based on the expectation of a loss to address these shortcomings. A general-equilibrium analysis reveals that the presence of VaR risk managers in a pure-exchange economy amplifies stock-market volatility during downturns and attenuates it during up markets. The paper also discusses the implications of VaR-based risk management on stock-market price dynamics and provides insights into the large losses incurred by some banks and hedge funds during the 1998 stock-market downturn.