Assessing time-varying stock market integration in Economic and Monetary Union for normal and crisis periods

In this paper, we examine the stock market integration process amongst 17 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) countries from January 2002 to June 2013 over a normal period as well as for the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and Eurozone Debt Crisis (EDC) periods. We classify the economies in three groups (A, B and C) based on their GDP to examine whether the economic size influences financial integration. Seven indicators are used for the purpose, namely, beta convergence, sigma convergence, variance ratio, asymmetric DCC, dynamic cointegration, market synchronisation measure and common components approach. The results suggest that large-sized EMU economies (termed as Group A) exhibit strong stock market integration. Moderate integration is observed for middle-sized EMU economies with old membership (termed as Group B). Small-sized economies (termed as Group C) economies seemed to be least integrated within the EMU stock market system. The findings further suggest presence of contagion effects as one moves from normal to crisis periods, which are specifically stronger for more integrated economies of Group A. We recommend institutional, regulatory and other policy reforms for Group B and especially Group C to achieve higher level of integration.     

Impacts of short-term interest rates on stock returns and exchange rates: Empirical evidence from EAGLE countries

In this study, we estimate Bayesian vector autoregression (BVAR) and time-varying structural VAR (TVP-VAR) models for Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey to analyze the impacts of short-term interest rates on stock prices and exchange rates considering the relationships between these variables. BVAR and TVP-VAR models’ estimations indicate that monetary policy decisions of these countries lead to capital movements as well as capital movements may create a considerable amount of variation in exchange and stock markets both in the periods of economic stability and financial crisis. We also reveal that increases in interest rates intending to prevent capital outflows may lead to decrease in stock returns, which in turn may deteriorate the real economic activity in Indonesia, while changes in short-term interest rates in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey cannot be used as a tool to stabilize the value of their home currencies against the USD. Our study highlights the importance of formulating an optimal monetary policy framework accompanied by macro-prudential polices, which help to reach inflation target and smooth the possible variations in exchange rates and stock prices during economic crisis conditions in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey.     

How are Africa's emerging stock markets related to advanced markets? Evidence from copulas

The finance literature provides ample evidence that diversification benefits hinges on dependence between assets returns. A notable feature of the recent financial crisis is the extent to which assets that had hitherto moved mostly independently suddenly moved together resulting in joint losses in most advanced markets. This provides grounds to uncover the relative potential of African markets to provide diversification benefits by means of their correlation with advanced markets. Therefore, we examine the dependence structure between advanced and emerging African stock markets using copulas. Several findings are documented. First, dependence is time-varying and weak for most African markets, except South Africa. Second, we find evidence of asymmetric dependence, suggesting that stock return comovement varies in bearish and bullish markets. Third, extreme downward stock price movements in the advanced markets do not have significant spillover effects on Africa’s emerging stock markets. Our results, implying that African markets, with the exception of South Africa, are immune to risk spillover from advanced markets, improves the extant literature and have implications for portfolio diversification and risk management.     

基于时变Copula的我国股票市场联动性研究

通过运用Copula技术,构建4种Copula-GARCH模型,讨论金融市场的相关模式问题得出的结论是Joe-ClaytonCopula比正态Copula好,动态模型比静态模型要好。表明沪港股市确实存在非对称的相关变化规律。同时表明沪、港股票市场股市相关程度较小,两个市场联动性较弱,上海股市的波动具有相对的独立性,通过组合上海股市和香港股市的方式可以较好的降低投资风险。     

基于经济资本的我国保险公司投资风险限额配置研究

投资风险限额管理是保险公司对投资风险进行管理的重要手段,是保险公司建立有效风险管理体系不可或缺的组成部分。保险公司投资风险限额管理主要包括投资风险限额配置、风险限额监控和风险限额动态调整三个环节,其中风险限额配置是整个风险限额管理流程的基础。运用GARCH模型和GJR模型,并结合Copula理论,探讨了投资风险限额配置的方法,通过实证分析证实投资组合之间存在分散化效应,各投资风险限额之和大于总风险限额,并得出投资风险限额优化配置模型调整资产配置,可以显著提高保险公司投资绩效。     

Bayesian forecasting and portfolio decisions using dynamic dependent sparse factor models

We extend the recently introduced latent threshold dynamic models to include dependencies among the dynamic latent factors which underlie multivariate volatility. With an ability to induce time-varying sparsity in factor loadings, these models now also allow time-varying correlations among factors, which may be exploited in order to improve volatility forecasts. We couple multi-period, out-of-sample forecasting with portfolio analysis using standard and novel benchmark neutral portfolios. Detailed studies of stock index and FX time series include: multi-period, out-of-sample forecasting, statistical model comparisons, and portfolio performance testing using raw returns, risk-adjusted returns and portfolio volatility. We find uniform improvements on all measures relative to standard dynamic factor models. This is due to the parsimony of latent threshold models and their ability to exploit between-factor correlations so as to improve the characterization and prediction of volatility. These advances will be of interest to financial analysts, investors and practitioners, as well as to modeling researchers.     

Capital Market Integration in the Middle East and North Africa

This paper studies capital market integration in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries and its implications for international portfolio investment allocation. Starting with four cointegration methodologies, we significantly reject the hypothesis of a stable, long-run bivariate relationship between each of these markets and the European Monetary Union (EMU), the United States, and a regional benchmark. This indicates the existence of significant diversification opportunities for three categories of investors (EMU, world, and regional investors). A recursive analysis based on Barari (2004) suggests that recently, the MENA markets have started to move toward international financial integration. Investigating the effect of selected financial, economic, and political events on such a process, we extend the methodology and find that the markets react heterogeneously to the different categories of shocks. They should therefore not be treated as a bloc for global allocation purposes. Finally, after adjusting the integration levels by relative market capitalization, Israel and Turkey are the most promising markets in the region, followed by Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. Tunisia and Lebanon seem to be lagging behind.     

Regional capital mobility in China: Economic reform with limited financial integration

This paper assesses the changes in the regional capital mobility in China during the period of economic reform in 1978–2008 by employing a panel time varying coefficient (TVP) model. This approach is much more suitable to model China's evolution in the regional capital mobility than a standard structural break model as China's reforms took place gradually and were often implemented over several stages. Using the TVP model, we find that (1) China's provincial capital mobility demonstrated a moderate improvement over the sample period, but worsened temporarily between 1994 and 1997. This is probably due to the government's effort to combat inflation which reduced the investment and transfers to regions; (2) regions with the most developed and least developed provinces experienced higher degree of capital mobility improvement than those in the middle.     

个人抵押贷款违约的相关性因素——基于Copula模型的研究

运用国内商业银行积累的大量数据,统计得到银行个人客户住房抵押贷款多年度、不同信用等级、不同身份特征、分行业和分地区的违约情况,进行非线性的拟合分析,并采用Copula函数度量个人客户违约之间的相关性及厚尾特征。研究表明,房屋价格、客户性别以及受教育程度等与违约概率相关性比较低,在考察的样本区间内,这些因素不显著导致违约发生。另外,信用等级、收入结构和抵押担保剩余额度是影响个人违约决策的重要变量。所采用的模型在个人住房抵押贷款定价与风险管理中获得较好效果,银行可以根据违约状况的变动制定动态利率,随时准备弥补损失。     

基于Copula函数我国林业经济发展与气候之间的关系研究

我国林业经济在国民经济发展中有着重要的地位,森林与气候之间也有着密切的关系。通过历史数据基于Copula函数模型验证林业经济发展与气温、降水量、湿度与日照数等气候因素之间的相关关系,林业生产总值与气温正相关,与湿度、日照数负相关。当我们认识到林业经济总产值与气温、降水量、湿度、日照数之间的相依关系和相依结构,就可以采取相应的措施。这将会对制定宏观经济发展规划与森林资源开发战略,具有一定的指导与实践意义。