RISK-RETURN SEASONALITY AND MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES

In this paper I examine seasonality in the pricing of the Chen, Roll, and Ross (1986) macroeconomic variables. January seasonality is observed in the risk premia from 1932 to 1990. Examination of the 1932–57 period indicates nonstationary seasonals in the risk premia. The results cannot be attributed to the previously documented firm size effect. Residual risk is priced, and a strong January seasonality is observed in the residual risk premia. The market portfolio is not priced in the presence of the other variables. Trading volume is not priced in the individual months, but appears significant when all months are considered together.     

温家宝在《求是》杂志发表的《关于当前宏观经济形势和经济工作》一文中指出:坚持宏观调控取向不变 把握好宏观经济政策的方向 力度和节奏

今年以来,我国经济增长由政策刺激向自主增长有序转变,继续朝着宏观调控的预期方向发展。上半年经济运行的主要情况和特点:一是国民经济平稳较快发展,国内生产总值增长9.6%。三大需求对经济增长的拉动都在正常水平,内需的作用增大。社会消费品零售总额增长16.8%,固定资产投资增长25.6%,进出口总额     

MACROECONOMIC NEWS AND STOCK MARKET CALENDAR AND WEATHER ANOMALIES

An analysis of six stock market calendar and weather anomalies from 1980 to 2003 shows that (1) returns on trading days in which macroeconomic announcements were made generate the anomalies and (2) five of the six anomalies are not present at all on the trading days in which such announcements were not made (more than 60% of the sample). The results suggest that the market response to macroeconomic news, not psychological or institutional factors, is the main source of calendar and weather anomalies.     

MACROECONOMIC NEWS,STOCK TURNOVER,AND VOLATILITY CLUSTERING IN DAILY STOCK RETURNS

We study volatility clustering in daily stock returns at both the index and firm levels from 1985 to 2000. We find that the relation between today's index return shock and the next period's volatility decreases when important macroeconomic news is released today and increases with the shock in today's stock market turnover. Collectively, our results suggest that volatility clustering tends to be stronger when there is more uncertainty and disperse beliefs about the market's information signal. Our findings also contribute to a better understanding of the joint dynamics of stock returns and trading volume.     

FACTORS AFFECTING THE BEHAVIOUR OF UK CLOSED END FUND DISCOUNTS 1968 TO 1977

This paper examines the behaviour of UK investment trust discounts for a sample of funds over the ten-year period 1968 to 1977. The cross section variability of fund discounts is considered using fundamental analysis and a large number of potentially important factors are isolated and measured. Using multiple regression analysis, the optimal set of explanatory factors is ascertained, and it is found that the best fitting linear model changes substantially from year to year. The results indicate that fundamental analysis using cross section data may not be useful in the analysis and forecasting of UK closed end fund discounts.     

PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND MACROECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT:A Survey

This article reviews theories of investment behavior and examinesempirical studies of investment in developing countries. Theemphasis is on understanding the interactions among macroeconomicpolicies, structural adjustment, and private investment. Thearticle deals with the effect of exchange rate policy on investment,the relationship between public and private investment, theimportance of market imperfections and financial constraintson capital formation, and the effect of economic instabilityon irreversible investment decisions.      

PREDICTING SYSTEMATIC RISK WITH MACROECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL VARIABLES

We analyze the predictive power of several macroeconomic and financial indicators in forecasting quarterly realized betas of 30 industry and 25 size and book-to-market portfolios. We model realized betas as autoregressive processes of order 1 and include lagged values of macroeconomic and financial indicators as exogenous predictor variables. In out-of-sample forecasting exercises, forecasts using bond market variables as exogenous predictors statistically outperform forecasts from a benchmark model without any exogenous predictors. These forecasts based on bond market variables also economically outperform benchmark forecasts by providing better performance in hedging the market risk of portfolios.     

FISCAL DEFICITS AND MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Although fiscal adjustment was urged on developing countriesduring the 1980s to lead them out of economic malaise, considerableuncertainty remains about the relations between fiscal policyand macroeconomic performance. To illustrate how financial markets,private spending, and the external sector react to fiscal policies,the behavior of holdings of money and public debt, private consumptionand investment, the trade balance, and the real exchange rateis modeled for a sample of ten developing countries. The studiesfind strong evidence that over the medium term, money financingof the deficit leads to higher inflation, while debt financingleads to higher real interest rates or increased repressionof financial markets, with the fiscal gains coming at increasinglyunfavorable terms. Consumers respond differently to conventionaltaxes, unconventional taxes (through inflation or interest andcredit controls), and debt financing, in ways that make fiscaladjustment the most effective means of increasing national saving.Private investment—but not private consumption—issensitive to the real interest rate, which rises under domesticborrowing to finance the deficit. Contrary to the popular presumption,in some countries private investment increases when public investmentdecreases. There is strong evidence that fiscal deficits spillover into external deficits, leading to appreciation of thereal exchange rate. Fiscal deficits and growth are self-reinforcing:good fiscal management preserves access to foreign lending andavoids the crowding out of private investment, while growthstabilizes the budget and improves the fiscal position. Thevirtuous circle of growth and good fiscal management is oneof the strongest arguments for a policy of low and stable fiscaldeficits.      

MACROECONOMIC POLICY AND TRADE LIBERALIZATION: SOME GUIDELINES

Appropriate conduct of macroeconomic policy can play a crucialrole in the success of trade liberalization. At a given nominalexchange rate, a trade liberalization that significantly reducestariffs and quantitative restrictions on imports normally impliesa reduction in the general level of domestic prices and wages,especially in the import-competing sector. To diminish recessionaryeffects of domestic price and wage deflation, it is often appropriateto devalue a country's currency in conjunction with a majortrade liberalization. Monetary policy needs to be consistentwith exchange rare policy— avoiding both restrictivenessthat might induce recession and excessive ease that would fuelinflation and force future devaluations. Since trade liberalizationcan induce a short-run deterioration of the government's budgetposition, fiscal policy needs to remain restrained in orderto limit the dangers posed by large government deficits. Wagepolicy should be directed toward facilitating adjustments inrelative wage rates that accompany resource reallocations stimulatedby trade liberalization. Credit policy should assume that adequatecredit is available to finance expansion of export industriesand that difficulties experienced by import-competing enterprisesdo not threaten the financial system. Finally, government policyshould avoid large balance of payments deficits that createdoubt about the government's ability to maintain a liberal tradepolicy.