We employ a large dataset of physical inventory data on 21 different commodities for the period 1993–2011 to empirically analyze the behavior of commodity prices and their volatility as predicted by the theory of storage. We examine two main issues. First, we analyze the relationship between...

We examine both in-sample and out-of-sample predictability of South African stock return using macroeconomic variables. We base our analysis on a predictive regression framework, using monthly data covering the in-sample period between 1990:01 and 1996:12, and the out-of sample period commencing...

This paper investigates the empirical relevance of structural breaks in forecasting stock return volatility using both in-sample and out-of-sample tests applied to daily returns of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) All Share Index from 07/02/1995 to 08/25/2010. We find evidence of structural...

In this paper, we evaluate the role of using consumer price index (CPI) disaggregated data to improve the accuracy of inflation forecasts. Our forecasting approach is based on extracting the factors from the subcomponents of the CPI at the highest degree of disaggregation. The data set contains...

In this paper, we examine the predictive ability, both in-sample and the out-of-sample, for South African stock returns using a number of financial variables, based on monthly data with an in-sample period covering 1990:01 to 1996:12 and the out-of-sample period of 1997:01 to 2010:04. We use the...

Intraday data of 26 German stocks are used to investigate whether the information contained in trading volume and number of trades as well as in various specifications of overnight returns can improve one-step-ahead volatility forecasts. For this purpose, a HAR model of the realized range...

Probability weighting is one of the cornerstones of decision-making theories accommodating gambling preferences. This paper examines its relevance to explaining employee stock option exercise behavior. We characterized the optimal exercise policy for a representative employee with Rank-Dependent...

This paper demonstrates how to convert a path-dependent optimal stopping time problem into a path-independent problem using a transformation analysis method. We test this method to deal with several problems, especially those in stochastic volatility environments. We introduce stochastic state...

The relations between institutional investors' behavior and futures returns are examined in this study. Evidence suggests that net trading volume by foreign investors and investment trust have forecasting power for futures returns. In addition, the study applies a time-varying parameter vector...

In this study we examine three widely used realized correlation estimators for natural gas, gasoil, and crude oil futures using data from IntercontinentalExchange (ICE). The objective is to illustrate sensitivities of estimation methods on the resulting realized correlation estimates. The...