On detection of volatility spillovers in simultaneously open stock markets

Empirical research confirms the existence of volatility spillovers across national stock markets. However, the models in use are mostly statistical ones. Much less is known about the actual transmission mechanisms; theoretical literature is scarce, and so is empirical work trying to estimate specific theoretical models. Some economic theory founded tests for such spillovers have been developed for non-overlapping markets; this institutional set up provides a way around the problems of estimating a system of simultaneous equations. However, volatility spillovers across overlapping markets might be as important a phenomenon as across non-overlapping markets. Building on recent advances in econometrics of identifying structural vector autoregressive models, this paper proposes a way to estimate an existing signal-extraction model that explains volatility spillovers across simultaneously open stock markets. Furthermore, a new empirical test for detection of such spillovers is derived. As an empirical application, the theoretical model is fitted to daily data of eurozone stock markets in years 2010--2011. Evidence of volatility spillovers across the countries is found.