Geopolitical events are widely reported in the press and may influence the risk premium demanded by investors in addition to demand and supply of energy resources. Using the daily geopolitical risk index of Caldara and Iacoviello (2018), we demonstrate that geopolitical risk plays an important...

In addition to a myriad of industrial uses, precious metals continue to play an important role in the global financial system; they are increasingly popular as an investment and form part of a well-diversified portfolio in addition to acting as central bank reserves. Understanding how...

Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) relates to ambiguity surrounding possible changes in government policy and their associate impact on firm performance. This uncertainty places additional stress on economic agents and has implications for the global economy via delays in firm investment and...

There is a growing empirical literature on gold's safe haven status with respect to financial risks but no study with respect to global geopolitical risks. This paper extends the common focus on extreme stock market movements and financial turmoil with an analysis of geopolitical risk. We find...

Economic policy touches most facets of corporate decision-making and variations in policy can elicit significant changes in financial performance and asset prices. We utilise the EPU measure of Baker et al. (2016) to investigate the extent to which policy uncertainty influences Australian...

COVID-19 has had an immense impact on global stock markets, with no sector escaping its effects. Investor attention toward COVID-19 surged as the virus spread and its consequences imposed on everyday life. Using Google search volume (GSV) as a proxy for investor attention, our results show that...

The financial market response to the COVID-19 pandemic provides the first example of a market crash instigated by a health crisis. The crisis provides a unique setting in which to examine the market response to changes in investor attention. We utilise Google search volume (GSV) as a proxy for...

The presence of investor sentiment pushes asset prices away from the equilibrium level justified by underlying fundamentals. While sentiment is not directly observable, identifying appropriate proxies and, quantifying the impact of sentiment on asset prices is an important topic. Asset prices...

This article examines the relationship between changes in the level of investor fear (measured by VIX) and financial market returns. We document a statistically significant relationship, across asset classes, consistent with a flight to quality as investor fear increases. As VIX increase there...

This note examines the relationship between changes in levels of investor fear (measured by VIX) and FX market returns. Our empirical results indicate a negative relationship between daily returns on high-interest rate (investing) currencies and changes in VIX, while the association is positive...