Structural models of default can identify asset value dynamics and the location of the default boundary from either (observable) credit spreads or (latent) default probabilities. The latter approach uses historical default rates as proxies, which provide such low statistical power that...

We investigate the cross-sectional variation in the CDS-bond basis, which measures the difference between credit default swap (CDS) spread and cash-bond implied credit spread. We test several explanations for the violation of the arbitrage relation between cash bond and CDS contract, which...