The paper evaluates the ability of asset pricing models that do not use consumption data, and models that use consumption data as a proxy for true consumption, to explain the time-series and cross-sectional variation of expected returns of portfolios of stocks. Although some parameter...

Futures exchanges raise margins in environments characterized by recent substantial increases in futures price volatility, and they raise margins in contracts that have recently shown the largest volatility increase. Volatility then tends to fall. This reduction is smaller - especially the...