The pricing of idiosyncratic risk: evidence from the implied volatility distribution

A recent strand in the literature has investigated the relationship between idiosyncratic risk and future stock returns. Although several authors have found significant predictive power of idiosyncratic volatility, the magnitude and direction of the dependence is still being debated. Using a sample of all S&P 100 constituents, we identify positive risk premia for option-implied idiosyncratic risk. Depending on the model used to identify unsystematic risk, we observe a statistically and economically significant average annual premium of 1.72 percent. To investigate whether this impact is driven by the definition of idiosyncratic risk, we extend the pricing kernel by implied skewness. Using a double-sorting procedure, we show that the compensation of unsystematic risk is mainly driven by firms with high positive implied skewness.