Information Risk in TIPS Market: An Analysis of Nominal and Real Interest Rates

This study investigates the presence of information risk in two closely linked interest rate securities traded in separate markets: the nominal interest rate observed in the Treasury bond market and the real interest rate observed in the relatively new Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) market. We find that information flows unilaterally from the Treasury bond market to the TIPS market with a one-day lag. The information risk arising from asymmetric information flows may cause less informed traders to demand a higher rate of return (OHara, 2003). Our study provides an empirical explanation of why the TIPS yield has been relatively high throughout its nascent trading history.     

Real Rates, Expected Inflation, and Inflation Risk Premia

This paper studies the term structure of real rates, expected inflation, and inflation risk premia. The analysis is based on new estimates of the real term structure derived from the prices of index-linked and nominal debt in the U.K. I find strong evidence to reject both the Fisher Hypothesis and versions of the Expectations Hypothesis for real rates. The estimates also imply the presence of time-varying inflation risk premia throughout the term structure.     

Market Interest Rates and Commercial Bank Profitability: An Empirical Investigation

The widespread notion that commercial banks “borrow short and lend long” implies that sharp market interest rate increases may induce a significant number of banking failures. This paper develops a method for estimating average asset and liability maturities for a sample of large money center banks. Regression models are tested to determine if market rate fluctuations have a significant impact on bank profitability. The conclusion is negative: large banks have effectively hedged themselves against market rate risk by assembling asset and liability portfolios with similar average maturities.     

Option Pricing under Stochastic Interest Rates: An Empirical Investigation

Using daily data of the Nikkei 225 index, call option prices and call money rates of the Japanese financial market,a comparison is made of the pricing performance of stock option pricing modelsunder several stochastic interest rate processes proposedby the existing term structure literature.The results show that (1) one option pricing modelunder a specific stochastic interest ratedoes not significantly outperformanother option pricing model under an alternative stochasticinterest rate, and (2) incorporating stochastic interest ratesinto stock option pricing does not contribute to the performanceimprovement of the original Black–Scholes pricing formula.     

实际利率与股票价格:实证分析与探讨

本文采用定量的方法就实际利率是否影响我国股票市场回报和波动性进行分析,发现我国实际利率对股票市场价格行为产生较大的影响,并对实际利率对股票市场的影响途径进行解释.     

Expected Inflation, Interest Rates, and Stock Returns

This paper documents a long-lived asymmetrical relationship between interest rate changes and subsequent stock returns. Drops in interest rates are followed by twelve months of excess stock returns, while increases in interest rates have little effect. The results are robust to the choices of short-term interest rate and stock index. These findings cannot be explained by Geske and Roll's [10] reversed causality argument; nor do they appear to result from periods of unusual interest rates or stock returns. Since interest rate changes are generally used as proxies for changes in expected inflation, the results provide new insights into previous research on inflation and stock returns, and there are important implications for the literature on time-varying risk premia.     

The Term Structure of Real Rates and Expected Inflation

Changes in nominal interest rates must be due to either movements in real interest rates, expected inflation, or the inflation risk premium. We develop a term structure model with regime switches, time‐varying prices of risk, and inflation to identify these components of the nominal yield curve. We find that the unconditional real rate curve in the United States is fairly flat around 1.3%. In one real rate regime, the real term structure is steeply downward sloping. An inflation risk premium that increases with maturity fully accounts for the generally upward sloping nominal term structure.     

Expected Inflation and Interest Rates in a Multi-asset Model: A Note

This paper analyzes the effect of expected inflation on nominal interest rates, in a theoretical model with money and two different bond types. The inclusion of three assets instead of the usual two causes the effect of expected inflation on the interest rates to deviate from unity. Depending on the sizes of the wealth and interest rate effects on the various asset demands, the effect of expected inflation could even be negative. Several special cases are also considered, and the implications for the interpretation of empirical results are discussed.     

Real Flexibility and Financial Structure: An Empirical Analysis

I examine the empirical relation between real flexibility andfinancial structure. I test whether real flexibility increasesdebt capacity by lowering default risk and making assets moremarketable or decreases debt capacity by facilitating risk shiftingand asset substitution. I measure real flexibility as the sensitivityof marginal production and investment decisions to variationsin the economic environment. I find that financial leverageis negatively related to production flexibility but positivelyrelated to investment flexibility. This split in results suggeststhat although asset substitution facilitated by investment flexibilitycan be prevented contractually, risk shifting facilitated byproduction flexibility is intractable.     

The Effects of Inflation and Money Supply Announcements on Interest Rates

This paper examines the impact of the money supply and inflation rate announcements on interest rates. Survey data on expectations of the money supply and consumer and producer price indexes are used to distinguish anticipated and unanticipated components of the announcements. This distinction is used to test for the efficiency of the financial market response to the announcements of new information. The results indicate that the unanticipated components of the announced changes in the Producers Price Index and in the money supply have an immediate positive effect on short-term interest rates. The Consumer Price Index announcement has no apparent effect. There is no evidence of a delayed announcement effect. However, there is some indication of a liquidity effect of the money supply change on interest rates. This takes place when reserves are changing and several weeks prior to the information announcement.     

The Relationship between Federal Deficits and Real Interest Rates

Real interest rates fluctuated a great deal since the 1970s. In the 1980s federal deficits accelerated and their impact on both nominal and real interest rates gained lots of attention. Based on monthly and quarterly data from January 1971 to December 1997 it is found that federal deficits had significant positive effect on the real interest rates: Personal income or consumption are found to have significant positive impact on the real interest rates, whereas expected inflation and money supply are found to have negative impact on the real interest rates. These findings are consistent with the conventional economic theory.     

中美利率与汇率联动关系的实证研究:2005～2008

在经济金融全球化的今天,尤其伴随我国金融业全面开放、人民币国际化进程的逐步推进,中美利率与汇率联动关系的研究显得日益重要。本文在借鉴经济学有关利率和汇率联动关系的理论模型和传导机制的基础上,运用计量经济学理论模型和统计软件Eviews5.0,通过对利率与汇率经济变量的平稳性检验、协整关系检验、因果关系检验、冲击反应分析和方差分解检验,较为全面地对中美利率与汇率的联动关系进行了实证分析。通过实证分析,我们发现中美利率和汇率在长期内存在协整关系,但短期联动关系不足,我国应加快推进利率市场化进程,积极完善人民币汇率形成机制,使我国利率政策和汇率政策相互协调,促进宏观经济向内外均衡发展。     

Stock Returns Under High Inflation and Interest Rates: Evidence from the Brazilian Market

We analyze the relationship of high inflation and interest rates with stock returns in Brazil from May 1986 to May 2011, during which Brazil experienced subperiods of both high inflation (May 1986-June 1994) and relative monetary stability (July 1994-May 2011). The result in the total period is dominated by high inflation volatility, and the findings suggest a bidirectional relationship between stock returns and inflation. During the high-inflation subperiod, interest rates are relevant to explain future changes in inflation and stock returns. Under low inflation, movements in interest rates are better anticipated by equity investors, suggesting higher market efficiency than in high-inflation circumstances.     

我国房地产价格波动与中央银行货币政策调控——来自货币供应量、汇率和利率的证据

本文通过VAR-MVGARCH模型研究了我国房地产价格增长率分别与货币供应量、汇率和利率的线性和波动关系.研究结果表明,汇率的变化对房地产价格增长率的变动会产生显著的线性影响,但是货币供应量和利率的变化对房地产价格增长率变动的线性影响不大.本文认为,尽管货币供应量、汇率和利率对房地产价格增长率存在波动溢出效应,但由于它们与房地产价格增长率的相关性波动剧烈,同时考虑到不断变化的货币政策“盯住”房地产价格波动的困难以及有悖于中央银行保持货币政策“连续性和稳定性”的目标,当前最好实施汇率工具盯住房地产价格增长率的均值化,才容易产生显著效果.     

我国货币供应量与通货膨胀关系的实证分析

本文利用1986年以来货币供应量与通货膨胀的数据,运用图示法和模型检验,对各层次货币供应量与通货膨胀的相关性、因果关系进行分析检验.结果显示:各层次货币供应量中,M2与CPI存在较强相关性;在各时间阶段中,1997-2008年M2与CPI的相关性较1986-1996年强;CPI与M2存在格兰杰因果关系.文章进一步对检验结果进行了阐释,进而提出政策建议.     

股票收益率与通胀关系的实证研究

本文基于费雪理论,使用1991-2010年的月度数据对中国股市的收益率与通货膨胀率之间的关系进行实证分析,并进一步检验各行业股票对通胀风险的防御效果。研究结果表明,总体上股票收益率与通胀率显著负相关,即股票不是持续高通胀时期的有效保值工具,但是在材料、医药和消费等行业仍具有较好的通胀防御效果。     

股价波动与通货膨胀关系的实证研究

本文运用格兰杰因果关系检验、脉冲响应函数和方差分解等计量方法,得出以下主要结论：股票价格是影响通货膨胀和通胀预期的重要变量;股票价格是通货膨胀、通胀预期的格兰杰原因,反向因果关系不明显;股票价格的上升,在相当短的时期内,即1—2个季度内,与通货膨胀率和通胀预期负相关,然后从第2—3季度开始,股票价格与通货膨胀率和通胀预期正相关,第9季度开始,股票价格与通货膨胀率和通胀预期负相关。利用财富效应和替代效应假说,本文认为当财富效应大于替代效应时,股价与通货膨胀正相关;当财富效应小于替代效应时,股价与通货膨胀负相关。最后,提出了政策建议。     

Are High Interest Rates Effective for Stopping High Inflation? Some Skeptical Notes

High interest rates are considered an effective tool for stoppinghigh inflation. The case for a policy of high interest ratesis developed in terms of a conventional IS-LM model. However,among other things, the model ignores some central aspects ofmodern credit markets. In particular high interest rates maygive rise to nonperforming bank loans, thus seriously jeopardizingthe effectiveness of the policy. Examples are developed in whichit would be optimal to aim for equilibriums of low, rather thanhigh, interest rates. One of these examples hinges on the existenceof nonindexed domestic debt.