We examine the efficacy with which the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) predicts future (30 day forward) S&P realized volatility. We find that the VIX’s accuracy is about 63%. An alternative framework that we present, built on asymptotic distribution theory, predicts this volatility with an...

We develop an index, termed the Government Legislative Index (GLX), that measures the ability of the US Government to execute legislation. In essence, the GLX measures the ability of the President and the ruling party to successfully convert proposed legislation into rules and regulations....

To establish stock-versus-flow orientations of a commodity, the mediating role of inventories in price formation is considered. This framework is tested by examining responses of COMEX gold, silver, and copper to macroeconomic news releases. Standard responsiveness-tests, which ignore the role...

We investigate short-term index options for behavioral biases implied in prospect theory (PT). Intraday price and transactions patterns generally support the theory. Losers are seen to be relatively risk seeking and winners to be risk averse, with the former effect appearing stronger. On...