Pitfalls in estimates of the relationship between stock returns and inflation

Empirical tests of the Fisher hypothesis give conflicting results, regardless of whether income growth is accommodated in the estimates. This paper shows theoretically and empirically that standard methods of testing the Fisher hypothesis give biased results and that the bias depends on the specification of the Fisher equation, the process governing inflation, measurement of inflation expectations, and the time aggregation of the data. Alternative tests show that share markets take several years to adjust to innovations in inflation and therefore that the Fisher hypothesis cannot be maintained. Helpful comments and suggestions from Hans Christian Kongsted, Darrel Turkington and seminar participants at the University of Western Australia, and University of Konstanz and, particularly, two referees, are gratefully acknowledged.     

The process of technical change in UK manufacturing

This paper tests the validity of the Fisher hypothesis, which establishes a positive relation between interest rates and expected inflation, for the G7 countries and 45 developing economies. For this purpose, we estimate a version of the GARCH specification of the hypothesis for all countries included in the sample. We also test the augmented Fisher relation by including the inflation uncertainty in the equation. The simple Fisher relation holds in all G7 countries but in only 23 developing countries. There is a positive and statistically significant relationship between interest rates and inflation uncertainty for six of the G7 and 18 of the developing countries and this relationship is negative for seven developing countries.     

The Fisher hypothesis: examining the Canadian experience

In this study the validity of the Fisher hypothesis is investigated for Canada under both fixed and floating exchange rate regimes. An empirically distinction is drawn between the weak and strong form of the Fisher hypothesis. The Johansen-Juselius (JJ) multivariate cointegration methodology is applied to test the weak form while the Phillips–Hansen fully modified ordinary least squares (FM-OLS) technique is used for the strong form hypothesis. The caninical correlations (JJ) methodology has the smallest bias and dispersion and hence is the best among the alternative testing procedures available. The FM-OLS procedure, on the other hand, allows for an unrestricted cointegration test correcting for both endogeneity in the data and asymptotic bias in the coefficient estimates. The Fisher hypothesis is soundly rejected.     

The quantity theory of money and its long-run implications

This paper examines three propositions implied by the quantity theory of money, namely, the neutrality hypothesis, the Fisher hypothesis and the monetary approach to exchange rate determination for six developed countries within a dynamic framework, which incorporates the long-run proposition as its steady-state solution while allowing for short-run deviation from the hypothesized long-run relationships to take place. The joint hypothesis that all three propositions are satisfied simultaneously is supported only for two countries.     

The Fisher hypothesis: a multi-country analysis

This paper tests whether the Fisher hypothesis holds for a sample of 26 countries by assessing the long run relationship between nominal interest rates and inflation rates taking into consideration the short run dynamics of interest rates. The empirical evidence supports the hypothesis that there is a one-to-one relationship between the interest rate and inflation for more than half of the countries under study.     

Evaluating the Fisher effect in long-term cross-country averages

This article uses long-term cross-country data to examine the Fisher hypothesis that nominal interest rates respond point-for-point to changes in the expected inflation rate. The analysis employs bounded-influence estimation to limit the effects of hyperinflation countries such as Brazil and Peru. Contrary to the results in Duck (1993), the present evidence does not support a full Fisher effect. By extending the empirical model to account for cross-country differences in sovereign risk, we find evidence consistent with the idea that interest rates fail to fully adjust to inflation due to variation in the implicit liquidity premium on financial assets.     

Correct cointegration tests of the long-run relationship between nominal interest and inflation

The Fisher (1930) hypothesis suggests that a long-run equilibrium relationship exists between the non-stationary series: nominal interest and expected inflation. Testing such a cointegrating relationship is complicated by the presence of the unobserved ex antereal rate of interest in residuals from the cointegrating regression. Assumptions concerning the stochastic properties of the expected real rate of interest are examined, and two proxies for the ex antereal rate are employed in multivariate cointegration tests of the Fisher hypothesis.     

The Fisher effect,survey data and time-varying volatility

In this paper we study the Fisher hypothesis using Livingston survey data on inflation expectations. We propose a simple model for the ex-ante real interest rate where the standard deviation of survey forecasts is used to correct for heteroskedasticity. The findings of this paper contradict earlier studies. We find supportive evidence for the Fisher hypothesis that the nominal interest rate and expected inflation move one-for-one both in the short and the long run. Our results also suggest that the change of US monetary policy does not have significant effect on the dynamics of the ex-ante real interest rate such as previous work assumes.     

Interest rates and the fisher effect in India: An empirical study

This study throws light on the importance of adjustment lags, variability of inflation, changes in real income, etc. in the empirical estimation of Fisher hypothesis. Variability of inflation has a significant negative impact on both short- and long-term interest rates in a developing economy like India. The ‘Philips Curve Effect’ has not been operative in a developing country.     

Inference for treatment effects of job training on wages: using bounds to compute Fisher’s exact p-value

In the context of a training program’s randomized evaluation, where estimating wage effects is of interest, we propose employing bounds that control for sample selection as a model-based statistic to conduct randomization-based inference à la Fisher. Inference is based on a sharp null hypothesis of no treatment effect for anyone. In contrast to conventional inference, Fisher p-values are nonparametric and do not employ large sample approximations.     

The Impact of Inflation Uncertainty on Interest Rates in the UK

This paper assesses the effect of expected inflation and inflation risk on interest rates within the Fisher hypothesis framework. Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic models are used to estimate the conditional variability of inflation as a proxy for risk. With the UK quarterly data from 1958:4 to 1994:4, we found that both the expected inflation and the conditional variability of inflation positively affect the UK three‐month Treasury‐bill rate.     

Alcohol content and demand for alcoholic beverages: A system approach

This paper examines how alcohol content affects the consumption of alcoholic beverages in Finland. Three different quality hypotheses are studied and compared: Fisher and Shell, Theil, and an additive one. The comparison of the hypotheses is based on quality elasticities implied by the hypotheses. The results show that, under all hypotheses, alcohol content positively affects the demand for alcoholic beverages, and this effect depends negatively on income. The results of the comparison of the hypotheses show that the additive fits the data best. However, the other hypotheses are almost as good: Fisher and Shell's hypothesis better than Theil's.I would like to thank K. Koskela, A. Nyberg, M. Salo, M. Stenius, and I. Suoniemi for their useful comments and suggestions. The author bears sole responsibility for any remaining errors.     

通货膨胀与农业股票收益多尺度分析

通货膨胀水平与股票收益率的关系是金融学研究的热点问题之一。文章介绍了小波方法的多尺度分析原理,采用农林指数月度收盘价的对数收益率和消费者价格指数分别代表农业股票收益率和通货膨胀率的水平,得到2007年9月到2012年12月农业股票收益率和通货膨胀率的统计特征。以小波方法分解已知的时间序列,得到不同尺度的数值,利用最小二乘法实证两者之间的关系,得到在中尺度和大尺度的分析周期上,两者具有统计意义上显著地正相关关系,支持了费雪效应假说。而在短尺度分析周期上,两者又具有统计意义上的负相关性,出现了费雪效应悖论。     

Cross-Country Evidence on the Ability of the Nominal Interest Rate to Predict Inflation

This paper examines the viability of using short-term interest rates to forecast inflation as implied by the Fisher hypothesis. A major problem with this approach lies in the implicit assumptions that the real interest rate is constant and that the relationship between inflation and interest rate does not change over time. We demonstrate, using quarterly data for four OECD countries, that by relaxing these assumptions and allowing for seasonality in the inflation rate it is possible to obtain a model with a high degree of forecasting accuracy and efficiency.
JEL Classification Numbers: C22, C52, E31.     

On the Variance/Covariance Structure of the Log Fisher Index, and Implications for Aggregation Techniques

Several aggregation methods, including the EKS, start by calculating bilateral Fisher indices. Prices and quantities are, however, subject to measurement error. This stochastic behavior, which implies both unequal variances, and non-zero correlations, between different Fisher indices, has to be taken into account if optimal estimates of aggregate PPPs are to be derived from the Fisher indices. This paper provides estimates of the variance/covariance structure of the Fisher indices, under two alternative models for stochastic variation at basic heading level: and it applies these formulae to the 1996 OECD data set, illustrating that the Fisher indices for this data set are indeed highly correlated. The paper also establishes a general theoretical result, proving that the EKS is optimal for a particular variance/covariance structure involving non-zero correlations, and hence shows that the standard EKS aggregation method is likely to be near optimal for the 1996 OECD data set.     

An Empirical Examination of the Fisher Effect in Australia*

This paper analyzes the Fisher effect in Australia. Initial testing indicates that both interest rates and inflation contain unit roots. Furthermore, there are indications that the variables have non-standard error processes. To overcome problems associated with this and derive the correct small sample distributions of test statistics we make use of Monte Carlo simulations. These tests indicate that while a long-run Fisher effect seems to exist, there is no evidence of a short-run Fisher effect. This suggests that, while short-run changes in interest rates reflect changes in monetary policy, longer run levels indicate inflationary expectations. Thus, the longer run level of interest rates should not be used to characterize the stance of monetary policy.     

Revisiting the Link Between Stock Prices and Goods Prices in OECD Countries

Fisher hypothesis postulates positive relation between stock return and inflation; however early studies document negative relationship between the two and they conclude that stock cannot be used as a hedge against inflation. In this paper we explore long‐run nonlinear relationship between stock price and goods price. Our sample consists of 19 OECD countries; all or some of these countries have been studied before with the findings of linear cointegration between the stock index and goods price index. Based on unit root tests and linear cointegration test, we apply threshold cointegration tests, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration test and panel VAR method. With all these econometric methods we arrive at heterogeneous findings as follows: two countries have linear cointegration, five countries have threshold cointegration, nine countries do not have any cointegration and finally two countries provide inconclusive results. Estimates of Fisher coefficient provided by linear and nonlinear cointegration methods, which range between 1.27 and 1.86, are consistent with previous studies. Impulse response analysis from panel VAR for countries having no cointegrating relation shows that shock to inflation produces negative response in stock return, which supports findings of earlier studies.     

The Relationship between Interest Rates and Inflation: Examining the Fisher Effect in China

This study revisits the Fisher effect using a different empirical method that considers a potential nonlinear relationship between interest rates (treasury bond rates) and inflation in China. The rising uncertainty and asymmetric information in financial markets between bond holders and bond issuers suggest such a potential nonlinear relationship. To this aim, we apply Shin et al.’s (2014) nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model with asymmetric dynamic multipliers for the sample period 2002M7–2018M4. The empirical findings reveal symmetric and asymmetric partial Fisher effects for all sample bond rates in China. Furthermore, we find that 20-year bond rates experience the lowest partial Fisher effect.     

Rearranging Edgeworth–Cornish–Fisher expansions

This paper applies a regularization procedure called increasing rearrangement to monotonize Edgeworth and Cornish–Fisher expansions and any other related approximations of distribution and quantile functions of sample statistics. In addition to satisfying monotonicity, required of distribution and quantile functions, the procedure often delivers strikingly better approximations to the distribution and quantile functions of the sample mean than the original Edgeworth–Cornish–Fisher expansions.     

Robust estimation and inflation forecasting

This paper considers various models emerging from the Fisher effect and/or the term structure of interest rates for inflation forecasting. This paper, it is believed, makes a contribution to the literature on estimation of the models by using a procedure that is robust for non-normal errors, improving the efficiency of the estimates considerably. The Consumer Price Index series, 90 days and 180 days Australian bank-accepted bill rates, covering the sample period 1968Q1 to 1998Q4 were used in this study. Contrary to earlier findings, strong evidence was documented supporting the Fisher effect in the presence of a structural break with the break-point being at 1980Q1. The overall results suggest that the error correction model of the Fisher effect, the term structure of interest rates and short-run dynamics produce superior forecasts, in particular when the models were estimated using the robust method. These findings have important implications for economic policy analysis.