COMMON STOCHASTIC TRENDS: EVIDENCE FROM THE LONDON METAL EXCHANGE

Recent evidence from cointegration theory points towards the efficiency of the London Metal Exchange. We show that on theoretical grounds this evidence could be misleading. We also conduct multivariate and univariate unit roots tests on prices of three different metals, namely: copper, lead and zinc. The price data are seasonal and unadjusted quarterly data from the London Metal Exchange and they cover the period from 1972.1–1987.4. The evidence presented here supports the presence of common stochastic trends in metal price movements.     

Relative scarcity and convenience yield: evidence from non-ferrous metals

We study the relationship between convenience yield and relative scarcity in the non-ferrous metal market for the period January 2000–March 2015. We identify various sets of economic relationships for six major base metals, namely, aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc. Our bivariate and multivariate VARs and associated Granger-causality test results generally support the existence of a positive relationship between convenience yields of base metals and our relative scarcity measure. Furthermore, the time-varying characteristics observed in the results, especially during contango and backwardation periods, provide useful information to market players in developing inventory strategies.     

Modeling equilibrium trends and interventions in commodity markets

The monthly spot prices in the international tin and copper and U.S. domestic lead markets are modeled based on the “supply of storage” concept. In all cases the lag-1 natural logS/C (stocks/consumption) was highly important in the final fitted equation. For copper and lead, trend directions in the U.S. Index of Leading Economic Indicators modified theS/C dependency. Disaggregation of the tin stocks showed the special model sensitivity to the level of the ITC buffer stock. The underlying econometric models are used to estimate the price intervention effects of international political-economic crises, and commodity producer cartel actions.     

基于实物期权的矿产资源价值评估模型

依据实物期权理论,采用鞅定价方法,构建了矿产资源价值估计模型——GARCH资源开发投资评估模型。该模型允许资源价值具有时变的波动率,弥补了折现现金流(DCF)方法和传统实物期权方法在实际应用中的不足。利用锌、镍、铜和锡等矿产资源的现货价格数据,对本文构建的模型、DCF模型和B-S模型的资源价值估计效果进行比较分析。结果显示,本文构建的模型能灵活刻画资源开采过程中的期权价值,比其他模型更能体现资源所有者的权益。     

The efficiency of the london metal exchange: another look at the evidence

Recent evidence suggests that some markets on the London Metal Exchange do not exhibit the major characteristics of efficient markets: rationality and risk neutrality. In this note we ilustrate several shortcomings of recent work in this area. We suggest that one can be confident that the tin market exhibited a risk premium, that is, was inefficient, between 1976 and 1985. Reliable results on the efficiency of the lead, copper, aluminium, and nickel markets escape the Fama approach to testing the efficient markets hypothesis as it is currently employed.     

国内、国际期货市场期货价格之间的关联研究

该文利用协整检验和Granger因果检验等技术,首次对国内和国际期货市场的铜、铝、大豆和小麦的期货价格之间的动态关系进行了实证研究.结果显示:上海期货交易所与伦敦金属交易所铜、铝的期货价格之间存在长期均衡关系,大连商品交易所与芝加哥期货交易所大豆的期货价格之间存在协整关系;相对而言,国外市场的影响力较大;郑州商品交易所与芝加哥期货交易所小麦期货价格之间不存在协整关系.     

沪铜期货市场价格发现的动态贡献——基于状态空间模型的实证研究

商品期货价格与现货价格的相互关系一直是学术界研究的热点,但大都基于静态的模型。本文从期货定价的持有成本理论出发,通过误差修正方程构建状态空间模型,利用卡尔曼滤波算法从动态的角度研究了2004-2012年期间我国沪铜期货市场价格发现的贡献。实证结果显示:2004-2012年,我国沪铜期货市场价格发现的贡献随着时间的变化而变化。2004-2008年逐步增强;2008年金融危机后,逐步下滑,到2010年,落后于现货市场;之后又有回升趋势。总体来看,沪铜期货市场在价格发现中处于主导地位,但具有明显的波动性。     

Bubbles in UK house prices: evidence from ESTR models

Recent movements in stock and house prices have led to an examination of the presence of bubbles. Whilst, there is extensive research on stock price data, there is relatively less for house prices. This paper uses a present‐value model for house prices to test for the presence of bubbles. The results support the presence of a non‐fundamental component within UK national and regional house prices. In particular, for the majority of series considered, evidence is presented of linear non‐stationarity within the fundamental present‐value relationship, and of non‐linear stationarity, implying the presence of a non‐fundamental, or bubble, component. Furthermore, evidence is presented that prices adjust quicker when they are below fundamental equilibrium, than when they are above fundamental equilibrium, i.e. there is downward price stickiness. These results support the hypothesis that house price dynamics can be characterised by price‐to‐price momentum. Finally, forecast evidence suggests that real prices are likely to adjust downwards and converge with fundamental value.     

美元、石油和金属价格——基于VAR模型的实证研究

近年来,美元贬值以及石油价格上涨一直被认为是造成有色金属价格上涨的两个可能的原因。在这一背景下,笔者采用VAR模型分析了美元价值和石油价格变化对我国铜、黄金、白银等金属价格的冲击影响,以及在此冲击下三种金属价格间的相互影响关系。结果表明:美元价值以及黄金和白银二者之间的相互影响关系在很大程度上决定了我国黄金和白银的价格行为;而美元、石油、黄金以及白银价格的变化对于我国铜金属价格的冲击尽管是显著的,但是四者均不是铜金属价格上涨的主要原因。     

Cointegration and detectable linear and nonlinear causality: analysis using the London Metal Exchange lead contract

This study applies linear and nonlinear Granger causality tests to examine the dynamic relation between London Metal Exchange (LME) cash prices and three possible predictors. The analysis uses matched quarterly inventory, UK Treasury bill interest rates, futures prices and cash prices for the commodity lead traded on the LME. The effects of cointegration on both linear and nonlinear Granger causality tests is also examined. When cointegration is not modelled, evidence is found of both linear and nonlinear causality between cash prices and analysed predictor variables. However, after controlling for cointegration, evidence of significant nonlinear causality is no longer found. These results contribute to the empirical literature on commodity price forecasting by highlighting the relationship between cointegration and detectable linear and nonlinear causality. The importance of interest rate and inventory as well as futures price in forecasting cash prices is also illustrated. Failure to detect significant nonlinearity after controlling for cointegration may also go some way to explaining the reason for the disappointing forecasting performances of many nonlinear models in the general finance literature. It may be that the variables are correct, but the functional form is overly complex and a standard VAR or VECM may often apply.     

What drives housing price dynamics in Greece: New evidence from asymmetric ARDL cointegration

In this paper, we study the dynamics between house prices and selected macroeconomic fundamentals in Greece. The empirical analysis applies the asymmetric ARDL cointegration methodology proposed by Shin, Yu and Greenwood-Nimmo (2011) over the period from January 1999 to May 2011. The evidence suggests that ignoring the intrinsic nonlinearities may lead to misleading inference. In particular, the results reveal significant differences in the response of house prices to positive or negative changes of the explanatory variables in both the long- and short-run time horizons. The obtained evidence of asymmetry could be of major importance for more efficient policymaking and forecasting in the Greek house market.     

Convenient prices,cash payments and price rigidity

Recent works suggest that convenient prices that match monetary denominations exhibit above-average price rigidity and are set up by firms that have incentives to be paid in cash. The relationship between convenient prices and cash usage has however never been explicitly examined. This paper proposes a model that relates convenient prices to cash usage and exploits to test it a unique dataset in 2011 on cash payments and prices by a representative sample of French consumers. In line with the model, estimation results bring direct evidence that individuals' shares of cash payments increase with convenient prices. This finding confirms that price rigidity can be in part explained by the use of cash to pay convenient prices.     

Time–frequency relationship between US output with commodity and asset prices

Commodity and asset prices have a well-documented effect on economic growth as manifested through various channels. At the same time, the business cycle influences the commodity and asset prices. Whereas empirical evidence on the effect of commodity and asset prices on the long-run economic growth is ambiguous, most of the previous researches highlight a positive correlation in the short run. The aim of this article is to disentangle the short- and long-run co-movements between US historical business cycles and commodity and asset prices over the period 1859–2013. For this purpose, we use a time–frequency approach and we test the historical influence of oil, gold, housing and stock prices over the output growth. In contrast to other studies, we control for the effect of other prices and monetary conditions, using the wavelet partial coherency. In line with the previous works, we discover that co-movements between economic growth and commodity and assets prices manifest especially in the short run. We also find that stock returns and housing prices have a more powerful effect on the US economic growth rate than the oil and gold prices. The long-run co-movements are documented especially around the World War II. Finally, when controlling for the influence of the interest rate, inflation and other commodity and asset prices, co-movements become weaker in the short run. In general, the oil and housing prices lead the GDP growth, the US output leads the gold prices, while there is no clear causality direction between business cycle and stock prices.     

Optimising and Non‐optimising Balance of Trade Models: A Comparative Evidence from India

This study estimates and compares the competing optimising and non‐optimising balance of trade models using Indian data. The results obtained from the optimising model suggest that the prices relative to user cost of capital and the real wealth lead to a deterioration, while the real capital stock results in an improvement in trade balance. The estimates of conventional non‐optimising balance of trade model show the significant effect of domestic income and real exchange rate and the insignificant effect of world income on the balance of trade. The error correction models reinforce the long run estimates and show the significant effect of lagged equilibria on the balance of trade. The non‐nested hypothesis tests provide mixed evidence for the preference of one model over the other. The J test suggests that the optimising model outperforms the non‐optimising model, while the F test shows that both these models are acceptable in explaining the balance of trade.     

Do Malaysian house prices follow a random walk? Evidence from univariate and panel LM unit root tests with one and two structural breaks

In this article we apply univariate and panel Lagrange Multiplier (LM) unit root tests with one and twostructural breaks proposed by Lee and Strazicich (2003, 2004) and Im et al. (2005) to examine housing prices for five different housing price indices (all housing, detached housing, semi-detached housing, terrace housing and high-rise housing) in 14 states of Malaysia to test whether housing prices exhibit a random walk. Our main finding from the univariate LM unit root tests is that for the vast majority of states housing prices follow a stationary process about a segmented trend. The results of the panel LM unit root tests provide overwhelming evidence that house prices are segmented trend reverting.     

The empirical study on price discovery of cornstarch futures market in China

This article aims at exploring the performance of the price discovery function of cornstarch futures market in China. In order to test the stationarity of the cash and futures prices of cornstarch, the augmented Dickey–Fuller test is applied. Both prices are integrated of order one. Then, the Johansen cointegration test is conducted to test the cointegrating relationship between those two prices. Finally, the Granger causality test is performed to observe the direction of causality. The evidence shows that there is a long-run relationship between cash and futures prices and the futures price Granger causes cash price. As a whole, price discovery of cornstarch market in China is present although it is a newly emerged market.     

Can M&A activities act as a predictor of the performance of economic growth or stock prices?

One of the important issues with regard to the relationship between M&As (mergers and acquisitions) and economic growth or stock prices is whether such activities can act as a predictor of these two variables' performance, or whether these variables have resulted in significant impacts on M&A activities. The aim of this paper is to use the method proposed in Kónya (2006) to carry out a causality test among M&A activities, economic growth and stock prices, because the causal relationships that may be uncovered by this would be meaningful for both policymakers and stockholders. This paper uses quarterly data from six OECD countries for the period from April 1980 to March 2010. The bootstrap panel Granger causality test that this work applies also considers cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity simultaneously. The findings of the paper are as follows. There is significant, one-way causality from stock prices to M&A activities, and thus changes in stock prices lead M&A activities. With real GDP as the control variable, for all the countries surveyed, except Australia, stock prices lead M&A activities. As for the impact that economic growth has on M&A activities, we conclude that, when using stock prices as the control variable, there is almost no lead-lag relationship between economic growth and M&A activities, except for in Japan.     

International timber markets and tropical deforestation: the evidence from prices

Some scholars suggest that global timber markets, especially those involving high value species, are a leading cause of tropical deforestation. Despite limited empirical evidence, this hypothesis rests on the assumption that global timber markets respond to a common equilibrating mechanism that provides strong enough incentives for loggers in the tropical regions of the world. This article develops a simple model and taps into a unique data set on timber prices of hardwood and softwood in leading markets to test the global timber markets hypothesis. While we find evidence of a global equilibrating mechanism with potentially significant economic incentives to affect tropical deforestation, our results do not endorse the common conjecture in the literature that timber price shocks in developed countries lead to a homogeneous response in terms of deforestation everywhere in the tropical world. Instead, they invite further development of structural global timber market models to assess the linkages between markets and the consequences of such linkages to deforestation.     

Asset prices and expected monetary policy: evidence from daily data

This article explores the relationships among Libor, gold prices, the exchange rate, oil prices, fed funds futures prices and stock prices at a daily frequency. This article examines whether expected monetary policy, measured by changes in the prices of fed funds futures contracts, reacts to high frequency changes in asset prices and, in turn, whether asset prices respond to changes in expected monetary policy. The article reveals that there are statistically significant relationships between expected US monetary policy and shocks to Libor and exchange rates. It also reveals that there is no evidence of a systematic relationship between stock prices and expected monetary policy changes. Splitting the data into expansionary and recessionary periods using NBER dating, we find results for the expansionary periods that are very similar to the results for the entire period. For the periods of recession, we find little evidence of significant linkages between markets.     

Do net positions in the futures market cause spot prices of crude oil?

The last decade has witnessed sharp increases in the price of crude oil. There are two possible explanations for these increases: dramatic increases in financial firms' position in the oil futures market and recent increases in oil prices from changes in economic fundamentals. This paper examines the causal relationship between the net financial position and the crude oil price by using three types of Granger non-causality tests: the classical Granger non-causality test, a robust Granger non-causality test and a Granger non-causality test in quantiles. The empirical results provide some evidence of causality from the net financial position to the spot price of crude oil. In addition, futures prices serve as a transmission mechanism underlying the causal relationship between the net financial position and the crude oil price.