An Empirical Investigation of the Option-Adjusted Realized Return

The issue of meaningful evaluation of professionally managed portfolios remains to be resolved satisfactorily within the investment community. The fact that many of the current procedures for evaluating portfolio performance are deeply rooted in conventional mean-variance (M-V) analysis raises serious concerns from a theoretical perspective. The primary objective of this paper is an empirical investigation (as differentiated from a thorough empirical test) of an ordinal portfolio performance measure, called the Option-adjusted Realized (average rate of) Return or ORR, developed recently by Smith and Kokoska (1998). The ORR is a leverage- and risk-adjusted average realized rate of return that can be used directly in evaluating portfolio performance.Using returns data for June 1992 to May 1998, we estimate ORRs for two portfolios—the CREF Stock Fund and a hypothetical market index portfolio whose composition is identical to that of the S&P 500 Index. Also, we estimate Sharpe and Treynor ratio values for each portfolio and compare rankings provided by these methods for the two portfolios with rankings provided by the ORR method. For the interval of time from June 1995 to May 1998, the rankings provided by the three methods are not consistent. The ORR rankings for this time period indicate the CREF Fund underperformed the S&P Index on a risk-adjusted basis. Additional partitioning of the data creates other multiple intervals or holding periods for which the evaluation results (ex post) support at least moderate likelihood of unambiguous inconsistency ex ante. We argue that, given our set of assumptions, the ORR rankings, founded in option-pricing theory, are more reliable than the others that are M-V based.     

Detecting income-smoothing behaviors of Turkish listed companies through empirical tests using discretionary accounting changes

Flexibility when selecting accounting methods sometimes motivates managers to choose accounting methods or to change employed ones in order to increase, decrease or smooth income figures. In this study, income-smoothing behaviors of Turkish listed companies are detected through empirical tests using discretionary accounting changes (DACs). Parallel to the study conducted by Moses [Moses OD. Income smoothing and incentives: empirical tests using accounting changes. The Accounting Review 1987;11(2):358–77], income smoothing is accepted as one motivation of DACs and the sample firms are classified as smoothers and non-smoothers by using Moses’ smoothing behavior index. Results show that possible motivations of DACs are income smoothing, economical characteristics of the periods in which the DACs are made, and the desire of Turkish firms to have net incomes close to zero.     

Disappearing Dividends: Implications for the Dividend–Price Ratio and Return Predictability

The conventional dividend–price ratio is highly persistent, and the literature reports mixed evidence on its role in predicting stock returns. We argue that the decreasing number of firms with a traditional dividend‐payout policy is responsible for these results, and develop a model in which the long‐run relationship between the dividends and stock price is time varying. An adjusted dividend–price ratio that accounts for the time‐varying long‐run relationship is considerably less persistent. Furthermore, the predictive regression model that employs the adjusted dividend–price ratio as a regressor outperforms the random‐walk model. These results are robust with respect to the firm size.     

An Empirical Examination of The Nasdaq/CHX Dual-Trading Experiment

We analyze the effects of the SEC's experimental Nasdaq/CHX dual-trading program. The program, which began in 1987 and continues to the present, establishes an experiment in which the costs and benefits of competition between dealer and specialist market structures can be observed directly. Our primary finding is that the program led to significantly reduced mean quoted and percentage spreads for the dual-traded issues. Further, even though the CHX specialists quote lower spreads, they are not able to garner a significant number of trades from Nasdaq.     

Intraday Return Volatility Process: Evidence from NASDAQ Stocks

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the distributional and time-series properties of intraday returns. The purpose is to determine whether a GARCH model that allows for time varying variance in a process can adequately represent intraday return volatility. Our primary data set consists of 5-minute returns, trading volumes, and bid-ask spreads during the period January 1, 1999 through March 31, 1999, for a subset of thirty stocks from the NASDAQ 100 Index. Our results indicate that the GARCH(1,1) model best describes the volatility of intraday returns. Current volatility can be explained by past volatility that tends to persist over time. These results are consistent with those of Akgiray (1989) who estimates volatility using the various ARCH and GARCH specifications and finds the GARCH(1,1) model performs the best. We add volume as an additional explanatory variable in the GARCH model to examine if volume can capture the GARCH effects. Consistent with results of Najand and Yung (1991) and Foster (1995) and contrary to those of Lamoureux and Lastrapes (1990), our results show that the persistence in volatility remains in intraday return series even after volume is included in the model as an explanatory variable. We then substitute bid-ask spread for volume in the conditional volatility equation to examine if the latter can capture the GARCH effects. The results show that the GARCH effects remain strongly significant for many of the securities after the introduction of bid-ask spread. Consistent with results of Antoniou, Homes and Priestley (1998), intraday returns also exhibit significant asymmetric responses of volatility to flow of information into the market.     

Predictability of stock markets with disequilibrium trading. A commentary paper

The paper focuses on the problem of predictability of stock market returns with disequilibrium trading. It is shown that the predictability of returns may be the consequence of quantity constraints appearing in the markets due to the imposition of administrative restrictions on trade. A relevant test of predictability for the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) based on information referring to disequilibrium states occurrence is proposed. The empirical results of its application to the WSE on a sample containing session-to-session observations from the period January 1995 to December 1999 strongly support the hypothesis of predictability.     

Testing weak-form market efficiency: Evidence from the Istanbul Stock Exchange

The random-walk version of the efficient market hypothesis is tested for the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) using its composite, industrial, and financial index weekly closing prices. The results obtained from three of the tests indicate that all three series are a random walk, but a nonparametic test provides some evidence against a random walk.     

Interdependence and Volatility Spillovers Under Market Liberalization: The Case of Istanbul Stock Exchange

This paper analyzes stock returns and volatility relations between the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) and the global market as represented by stock markets in the US, the UK, Japan and Germany. Results from monthly data and multivariate cointegration tests suggest that the ISE became significantly integrated in the global market only in the period following market liberalization in late 1989. We also find evidence based on GARCH estimations that capital liberalization actually mitigated, rather than intensified, volatility in the ISE. Our results further suggest that the Asian crisis in mid‐1997 and the consequent Russian economic meltdown in mid‐1998 are partly responsible for the recent excessive volatility in the Turkish market. The results also identify the US and the UK markets as dominate sources of volatility spillovers for the ISE, even in the period following the Asian‐Russian crises. Consequently, it appears that the two matured markets of the US and the UK shoulder significant responsibility for the stability and financial health of smaller emerging markets like the ISE.     

Assessing the Economic Significance of Return Predictability: A Research Note

The predictability of stock returns is often assessed using classical statistical significance from predictive regressions. Statistical inference, however, can belie the economic importance with which investors regard various predictors. This paper examines the influence that predictors have on an investor's optimal portfolio allocations. The results show that return predictability is sufficient to induce horizon effects in optimal allocations. After incorporating estimation risk, however, little evidence of predictability remains. We also assess the relative importance of three predictor variables. While dividend yield is the most important predictor, optimal allocations are also sensitive to the term spread and the relative bill rate.     

汇率与股价关联的实证研究——基于汇改后中国大陆、台湾、香港的数据

通过运用协整检验和格兰杰因果检验对汇率制度改革后中国大陆、台湾、香港的股市与汇市关系的实证结果表明,中国大陆汇市与股市存在长期稳定的协整关系,短期相互影响明显;台湾汇市与股市只存在短期的相互效应;香港数据表明两者不存在因果关系,但方差分解显示股市变动对汇率波动有一定的冲击效应.     

An Empirical Re-Examination of the Cross-Section of Expected Returns: UK Evidence

This paper is a study of the Fama and French (1992) analysis in the UK context. Consistent with their findings, our results do not support a positive relationship between beta and average monthly returns. We find that book-to-market equity and market leverage are consistently significant in explaining UK average returns. Contrary to the Fama-French evidence, size has an insignificant effect on average returns. A puzzling negative beta-returns relationship is found in some monthly regressions,and results based on annual data reveal a reversal of betas for the smallest-size portfolios. Some possible explanations are offered for these findings.     

Non‐linear Predictability of Value and Growth Stocks and Economic Activity

Recent empirical evidence suggests that stock market index returns are predictable from a variety of financial and macroeconomic variables. We extend this research by examining value and growth portfolios constructed by book-to-market ratio, and consider whether such predictability is evident here. Further, we assess whether such predictability is better characterised by a non-linear form and whether such non-linear predictability can be exploited to provide superior forecasts to those obtained from a linear model. General non-linearities are examined using non-parametric techniques, which suggest possible threshold behaviour. This leads to estimation of a smooth-transition threshold model, with the results indicating an improved in-sample performance and marginally superior out-of-sample forecast results.     

Return spread and liquidity: Evidence from Hong Kong ADRs

Fifteen Chinese H-shares listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong are cross listed as ADRs on the NYSE. We empirically determine the role of security specific liquidity associated with those ADRs and their underlying H-shares on return spreads, differences between the returns on ADRs and their corresponding H-shares after controlling for ADRs and H-shares excess market returns and their respective price inverses denoting conditional betas. We use three proxies for liquidity, trading volume, turnover, and illiquidity (Amihud, 2002) and find that only trading volume and turnover are consistent determinants of return spread for the majority of Chinese ADRs with primary listing in Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK). We use a switching regression model and find that the model parameter estimates are not stationary and change, often drastically between pre and post 2000 and 2003. Further tests using Bai Perron indicate return spreads data as non-stationary with multiple regime changes during the sample period. Further the causes of non-stationarity seem to be largely security specific and not driven by broad market swings in either market.     

中国汇率与股票价格联动的实证研究

汇率与股票价格之间存在着联系。汇率—股票价格之间的传统机制、组合机制、短期套利机制、利率粘性机制和产出机制在中国受到不同程度的影响,但是中国汇率和股票价格之间并不是完全隔绝的。中国的汇率与股票价格联动机制以及其发生作用的方式和程度与成熟市场经济体之间有较大的差异,投机机制已经率先发挥一定的作用。     

Nasdaq and The Chicago Stock Exchange: An Analysis of Multiple Market Trading

We analyze a set of 97 NASD-listed securities that trade on both the Nasdaq and Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX) to determine if trading costs and price improvement differ between the two markets. We find that order execution costs, which we define by the traded spread and the signed effective half-spread, are significantly lower on the CHX. This difference is consistent over trade types and for trades of at least 1,000 shares. Also, we find that trades occurring on the CHX receive more price improvement than do those occurring on Nasdaq.     

Cost and Profit Efficiency of the Turkish Banking Industry: An Empirical Investigation

By employing a stochastic frontier approach, we examine the effect of bank size, corporate control, and governance, as well as ownership, on the cost (input) and alternative profit (input-output) efficiencies of Turkish banks. We find that the average profit efficiency is 84% for Turkish banks. The oligopolistic nature of the Turkish banking industry has contributed to less than optimal competition in the loan market and deposit markets. Our results indicate that the degree of linkage between cost and profit efficiency is significantly low. This suggests that high profit efficiency does not require greater cost efficiency in Turkey, and that cost in efficient banks can continue to survive in this imperfect market, where profit opportunities are abundant for all types and sizes of banks. Accordingly, our results indicate that the different sizes of banks have capitalized these opportunities equivalently.     

The Gilt-Equity Yield Ratio and the Predictability of UK and US Equity Returns

A number of financial variables have been shown to be effective in explaining the time-series of aggregate equity returns in both the UK and the US. These include, inter alia , the equity dividend yield, the spread between the yields on long and short government bonds, and the lagged equity return. Recently, however, the ratio between the long government bond yield and the equity dividend yield – the gilt-equity yield ratio – has emerged as a variable that has considerable explanatory power for UK equity returns. This paper compares the predictive ability of the gilt-equity yield ratio with these other variables for UK and US equity returns, providing evidence on both in-sample and out-of-sample performance. For UK monthly returns, it is shown that while the dividend yield has substantial in-sample explanatory power, this is not matched by out-of sample forecast accuracy. The gilt-equity yield ratio, in contrast, performs well both in-sample and out-of-sample. Although the predictability of US monthly equity returns is much lower than for the UK, a similar result emerges, with the gilt-equity yield ratio dominating the other variables in terms of both in-sample explanatory power and out-of-sample forecast performance. The gilt-equity yield ratio is also shown to have substantial predictive ability for long horizon returns.     

汇率与股票价格的关系：理论前沿与实证研究综述

汇率与股价关系的理论研究主要从两个方向进行,一是将汇率、股价与其它宏观变量一起纳入到一般均衡的分析框架,二是从外汇市场微观结构的角度,通过考察国际间证券投资与套利行为从而在汇率与股价之间建立联系.对于两者之间关系的实证研究,则主要分为相关性检验与因果关系检验.从目前的研究成果看,无论是理论上还是实证上,对于股价和汇率关系的研究,都远未达成共识.     

Predictability in Consumption Growth and Equity Returns: A Bayesian Investigation

We use a Bayesian method to estimate a consumption-based asset pricing model featuring long-run risks. Although the model is generally consistent with consumption and dividend growth moments in annual data, the conditional mean of consumption growth (a latent process) is not persistent enough to satisfy the restriction that the price-dividend ratio be an affine function of the latent process. The model also requires relatively high intertemporal elasticity of substitution to match the low volatility of the risk-free return. These two restrictions lead to the equity volatility puzzle. The model accounts for only 50% of the total variation in asset returns.