scholarly journals Non Gaussian returns and pension funds asset allocation

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 416-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Hamayon ◽  
Florence Legros ◽  
Yannick Pradat
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Value At Risk ◽  
Mean Reversion ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Horizons ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Non Gaussian

Purpose The authors aim to demonstrate the importance of taking into account “mean reversion” in asset prices and show that this type of modeling leads to a high share of equities in pension funds’ asset allocations. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors will study the long-run statistical characteristics of selected financial assets during the 1895-2011 period. Such an analysis corroborates the fact that, for long holding periods, equities exhibit lower risk than other asset classes. Moreover, they will provide empirical evidence that stock market returns are negatively skewed in the short term and show that this negative skewness vanishes over longer time horizons. Both these characteristics favor the use of a semi-parametric methodology. Findings This empirical study led to two major findings. First, the authors noticed that the distribution of stock returns is negatively skewed over short time horizons. Second, they observed that the fat-tailed shape of the returns distribution disappears for time periods longer than five years. Finally, they demonstrated that stock returns exhibit “mean-reversion”. Consequently, the optimization program should not only take into account the non-Gaussian nature of returns in the short run but also incorporate the speed at which volatility “mean reverts” to its long-run mean. Originality/value To simulate portfolio allocation, the authors used a Cornish–Fisher Value-at-Risk criterion with the advantage of providing an allocation that is independent of the saver’s preferences parameters. A backtesting analysis including a calculation of replacement rates shows a clear dominance of the “non-Gaussian” strategy because the retirement outcomes under such a strategy would be positively affected.

A quantile regression approach to evaluate the relative impact of global and local factors on the MENA stock markets

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Slah Bahloul ◽  
Nawel Ben Amor
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Financial Integration ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Market Returns ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper investigates the relative importance of local macroeconomic and global factors in the explanation of twelve MENA (Middle East and North Africa) stock market returns across the different quantiles in order to determine their degree of international financial integration.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use both ordinary least squares and quantile regressions from January 2007 to January 2018. Quantile regression permits to know how the effects of explanatory variables vary across the different states of the market.FindingsThe results of this paper indicate that the impact of local macroeconomic and global factors differs across the quantiles and markets. Generally, there are wide ranges in degree of international integration and most of MENA stock markets appear to be weakly integrated. This reveals that the portfolio diversification within the stock markets in this region is still beneficial.Originality/valueThis paper is original for two reasons. First, it emphasizes, over a fairly long period, the impact of a large number of macroeconomic and global variables on the MENA stock market returns. Second, it examines if the relative effects of these factors on MENA stock returns vary or not across the market states and MENA countries.

Weather, investor psychology and stock returns: evidence from Fiji's stock market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janesh Sami
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Sunshine Duration ◽  
Market Returns ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Asset Pricing Models ◽  
Weather Changes ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper investigates whether weather affects stock market returns in Fiji's stock market.Design/methodology/approachThe author employed an exponential general autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (EGARCH) modeling framework to examine the effect of weather changes on stock market returns over the sample period 9/02/2000–31/12/2020.FindingsThe results show that weather (temperature, rain, humidity and sunshine duration) have robust but heterogenous effects on stock market returns in Fiji.Research limitations/implicationsIt is useful for scholars to modify asset pricing models to include weather-related variables (temperature, rain, humidity and sunshine duration) to better understand Fiji's stock market dynamics (even though they are often viewed as economically neutral variables).Practical implicationsInvestors and traders should consider their mood while making stock market decisions to lessen mood-induced errors.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt to examine the effect of weather (temperature, rain, humidity and sunshine duration) on stock market returns in Fiji's stock market.

Impact of oil volatility shocks on global emerging market stock returns

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Probal Dutta ◽  
Md Hasib Noor ◽  
Anupam Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Equity Returns ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Financial Assets ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Volatility Index ◽  
Jump Model ◽  
Oil Price Risk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the crude oil volatility index (OVX) plays any key role in explaining the trend in emerging market stock returns from a global standpoint. Design/methodology/approach At the empirical stage, different forms of the GARCH-jump model have been estimated. Findings The findings confirm the effects of OVX on equity returns. In addition, the results document that there exist time-varying jumps in the stock market returns. Besides, the impacts of OVX shocks appear to be symmetric. The analysis further shows that the magnitude of OVX impact is marginally bigger than that of the conventional oil price shocks. Originality/value Since various financial assets are traded on the basis of oil and equity markets, investors, for instance, could use the findings of this study for taking proper investment decisions and gaining better portfolio diversification benefits. Additionally, policymakers could utilize the results to develop effective measures and strategies in order to minimize the oil price risk.

The complex relationship between inflation and equity returns

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinan Liu ◽  
Apostolos Serletis
Keyword(s):  
Central Bank ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Equity Returns ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Inflation Uncertainty ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeTo investigate the complex relationship between inflation, inflation uncertainty and equity returns.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a bivariate VARMA, GARCH-in-mean, asymmetric BEKK model to investigate the relationship between inflation, inflation uncertainty and equity returns.FindingsUsing monthly inflation and equity returns data for the G7 and EM7 economies, we find that the effects of inflation and inflation uncertainty on equity returns vary across countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe mixed evidence we find potentially reflects the changing dynamics, policy regimes, economic shocks and country-specific factors (such as differences in the financing patterns of enterprises and the legal and financial environments) across the G7 and EM7 countries.Practical implicationsWe contribute to the empirical literature in the following ways. First, we rely on a wide sample of countries, including both developed and emerging economies. Second, we extend previous research by estimating a GARCH-in-mean model of monthly equity returns in which both realized returns and their conditional volatility are allowed to vary with inflation. Previous articles that studied the relationship between inflation and stock market returns generally sought time-invariant effects of inflation on stock returns.Social implicationsThe paper helps to reconcile the divergent results of previous empirical studies and distinguish between alternative explanations of the relationship between inflation and equity returns.Originality/valueOur study provides an improved comprehension of the ambiguous relationship between inflation, inflation uncertainty and equity returns under various central bank mandates and different levels of central bank independence. The mixed empirical evidence across countries we present provides insights for the macroeconomic models that consider the relationship between uncertainty and macroeconomic performance as a fundamental building block. Therefore, our empirical study calls for further work on the relationship between inflation, inflation uncertainty and equity returns.

Asymmetric impact of exchange rate changes on stock returns: evidence of two de facto regimes

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-173
Author(s):  
Walid M.A. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Currency Depreciation ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Exchange Rate Changes

Purpose This study focuses on Egypt’s recent experience with exchange rate policies, examining the existence of spillover effects of exchange rate variations on stock prices across two different de facto regimes and whether these effects, if any, are asymmetric. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis is carried out using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag modeling framework, which permits testing for the presence of short- and long-run asymmetries. Relevant local and global factors are also included in the analysis as control variables. The authors divide the entire sample into a soft peg period and a free float one. Findings Over the soft peg regime period, both positive and negative changes in EGP/USD exchange rates seem to have a significant impact on stock returns, whether in the short or long run. Short-term asymmetric effects vanish in the free float period, while long-term asymmetries continue to exist. By and large, the authors find that currency depreciation tends to exercise a stronger influence on stock returns than does currency appreciation. Practical implications The results offer important insights for investors, regulators and policymakers. With the domestic currency depreciation having a negative impact on stock prices, investors should contemplate implementing appropriate currency hedging strategies to abate depreciation risks and, hence, preserve their expected rate of return on the Egyptian pound-denominated investments. In the current post-flotation era, the government could pursue a flexible inflation targeting monetary policy framework, with a view to both lowering the soaring inflation toward an announced target rate and stabilizing economic growth. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) could adopt indirect monetary policy instruments to secure tightened liquidity conditions. Besides, the CBE could raise policy rates to incentivize people to keep their money in local currency-denominated instruments, instead of dollarizing their savings, thereby relieving banks of foreign currency demand pressures. Nevertheless, while being beneficial to the country’s real economy on several aspects, such contractionary monetary measures may temporarily impinge on stock market performance. Accordingly, policymakers should consider precautionary measures that reduce the potential for price distortions and unnecessary volatility in the stock market. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study represents the first attempt to explore the potential impact of exchange rate changes under different regimes on Egypt’s stock market, thus contributing to the relevant research in this area.

The term structure of equity factor diversification

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35
Author(s):  
Julien Fouquau ◽  
Cecile Kharoubi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Term Structure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Dependence Structure ◽  
Copula Functions ◽  
Momentum Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Horizons ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Factor Investing

Purpose Risk factor investing has grown in popularity in recent years and has become a cornerstone of investment portfolios. The goal of factor investing is to generate more returns in the long run. This paper aims to studies the term structure of equity factor. The authors consider the point of view of an American investor and use risk, diversification and performance measures. Design/methodology/approach The authors combine two methodologies as follows: wavelets and copulas. The authors use daily, weekly and monthly equity factor returns to calibrate wavelets and copulas. Copula functions are useful instruments to describe “joint” fluctuations in different markets, especially to capture nonlinearities, providing a reasonable alternative to the assumption of joint normality. To check robustness, the authors propose three different wavelet mother functions to decompose the data and three different time horizons and the authors add a complementary exercise based on performance and diversification measurement without wavelet transform. Findings The authors identify temporal horizons for which diversification benefits would be optimized with the decrease in the level of dependence or even the inversion of the dependence structure. Thus, investors seeking diversification with factor investing have to care about the considered horizon: size and book to market factors seem to provide better diversification in the short term. Momentum strategies seem to deliver better diversification in the long run. All the results are very consistent. Originality/value Very few papers have documented the diversification properties of the equity risk factors. While factors are built to capture systematic risk premia, their diversification properties are still poorly understood. It is necessary to take into account non-normality of risk factors and to study the diversification over different time horizons. The solution is to use wavelet methodology to decompose returns into temporal series of different maturities.

Long-term prior return patterns in stock and sector returns in India

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-210
Author(s):  
Sanjay Sehgal ◽  
Sakshi Jain
Keyword(s):  
Asset Pricing ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Risk Model ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Size Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Portfolio Managers ◽  
Sector Returns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze long-term prior return patterns in stock returns for India. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involves portfolio generation based on company characteristics and long-term prior return (24-60 months). The characteristic sorted portfolios are then regressed on risk factors using one factor (capital asset pricing model (CAPM)) and multi-factor model (Fama-French (FF) model and four factor model involving three FF factors and an additional sectoral momentum factor). Findings – After controlling for short-term momentum (up to 12 months) as documented by Sehgal and Jain (2011), the authors observe that weak reversals emerge for the sample stocks. The risk model CAPM fails to account for these long-run prior return patterns. FF three-factor model is able to explain long-term prior return patterns in stock returns with the exception of 36-12-12 strategy. The value factor plays an important role while the size factor does not explain cross-section of average returns. Momentum patterns exist in long-term sector returns, which are stronger for long-term portfolio formation periods. Further, the authors construct sector factor and observe that prior returns patterns in stock returns are partially absorbed by this factor. Research limitations/implications – The findings are relevant for investment analysts and portfolio managers who are continuously tracking global markets, including India, in pursuit of extra normal returns. Originality/value – The study contributes to the asset pricing and behavioral literature from emerging markets.

Oil price uncertainty and equity returns

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aktham Maghyereh ◽  
Basel Awartani
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Equity Returns ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Price Uncertainty ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of oil price uncertainty on the stock market returns of ten oil importing and exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The sample contains both oil importing and oil exporting countries that depend heavily on oil production and exports. Design/methodology/approach This paper intuitively applies the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH)-in-mean vector autoregression (VAR) model using weekly data over the period January 2001-February 2014. Findings The findings indicate that oil uncertainty matters in the determination of real stock returns. There is a negative and significant relationship between oil price uncertainty and real stock returns in all countries in the sample. The influence of oil price risk is more serious in those economies that depend heavily on oil revenues to grow. Practical implications The findings have important implications. For instance, managers should be aware of the linkages between oil price uncertainty and equity returns when they use oil to hedge and diversify equities, particularly in economies where oil is important for economic growth. The policymakers in oil importing countries should encourage companies to improve efficiency in the usage of energy and to resort to alternative sources to avoid fluctuations in earnings and equity prices. In the countries that heavily depend on oil efforts should focus on diversifying the domestic economy away from oil to protect against oil price fluctuations. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the influence of oil price uncertainty in the MENA region. The sample contains both oil importing and oil exporting countries that depend heavily on oil production and exports. The empirical findings of the paper have valuable policy implications for investors, market participants and policymakers.

Financial instability, integration and volatility of emerging South Asian stock markets

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Raj S. Dhankar
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Equity Markets ◽  
International Market ◽  
Portfolio Diversification ◽  
Financial Instability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the short- and long-run spillover effect of international financial instability on emerging South Asian stock markets. The paper also investigates the financial integration regionally. Design/methodology/approach Granger causality test is used for short-run causal relations. Since results of preliminary test highlight the significant autocorrelations in stock returns, GARCH class models with extreme shocks in international financial market are utilized to test the long-run spillover impact on stock returns. Findings Results indicate significant short- and long-run spillover impacts of international financial instability on the stock returns. They highlight the significant co-integration of South Asian stock markets with the international market. Significant correlations in stock returns and volatility reveal the degree of regional integration to be high between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Research limitations/implications Business, political and market conditions of South Asian stock markets are fundamentally different from each other. These economies were liberalized at different time, which in turn may affect the degree of integration with international equity markets and regionally alike. Practical implications Financial liberalization has linked the South Asian stock markets to the rest of the world. Stock prices move in the same line with the emergence of global expected and unexpected economic shocks. The benefits that arise from the diversification of funds will be eradicated in the long run. Investors with long investment horizons will not actually benefit from portfolio diversification in South Asian equity markets. The Bangladesh stock market does not respond to volatility in international market in the short run and may be a good destination for short-term investment. Originality/value Pioneer efforts are made by utilizing a novel approach with the use of net volatility change in world financial instability for measuring the short- and long-run impacts. Given the emergence of South Asian stock markets, new insights into their vulnerability to world financial shocks provide interesting findings for portfolio diversification.

scholarly journals On sparsity of eigenportfolios to reduce transaction cost

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-90
Author(s):  
Anqi Xiong ◽  
Ali N. Akansu
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Asset Returns ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Trading Costs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reduce Transaction Cost ◽  
Large Size

Purpose Transaction cost becomes significant when one holds many securities in a large portfolio where capital allocations are frequently rebalanced due to variations in non-stationary statistical characteristics of the asset returns. The purpose of this paper is to employ a sparsing method to sparse the eigenportfolios, so that the transaction cost can be reduced and without any loss of its performance. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors have designed pdf-optimized mid-tread Lloyd-Max quantizers based on the distribution of each eigenportfolio, and then employed them to sparse the eigenportfolios, so those small size orders may usually be ignored (sparsed), as the result, the trading costs have been reduced. Findings The authors find that the sparsing technique addressed in this paper is methodic, easy to implement for large size portfolios and it offers significant reduction in transaction cost without any loss of performance. Originality/value In this paper, the authors investigated the performance the sparsed eigenportfolios of stock returns in S&P500 Index. It is shown that the sparsing method is simple to implement and it provides high levels of sparsity without causing PNL loss. Therefore, transaction cost of managing a large size portfolio is reduced by employing such an efficient sparsity method.

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