This paper evaluates the role of various volatility specifications, such as multiple stochastic volatility (SV) factors and jump components, in appropriate modeling of equity return distributions. We use estimation technology that facilitates nonnested model comparisons and use a long data set...

The paper develops an approach for analyzing the dynamics of a nonlinear time series that is represented by a nonparametric estimate of its one-step ahead conditional density. The approach entails examination of conditional moment profiles corresponding to certain shocks; a conditional moment...

This dissertation consists of three related chapters that study financial market volatility,jumps and the economic factors behind them. Each of the chapters analyzes adifferent aspect of this problem.The first chapter examines tests for jumps based on recent asymptotic results.Monte Carlo...

estimates and examines the empirical plausibility of asset pricing models that attempt to explain features of financial markets such as the size of the equity premium and the volatility of the stock market. In one model, the long-run risks (LRR) model of Bansal and Yaron, low-frequency...

describes the use of the Gallant-Tauchen efficient method of moments (EMM) technique for diagnostic checking of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) estimated from financial market data. The EMM technique is a simulation-based method that uses the score function of an auxiliary model as the...

A common model for security price dynamics is the continuous-time stochastic volatility model. For this model, Hull and White (1987) show that the price of a derivative claim is the conditional expectation of the Black-Scholes price with the forward integrated variance replacing the...

The purpose of this paper is to bridge two strands of the literature, one pertaining to the objective or physical measure used to model an underlying asset and the other pertaining to the risk-neutral measure used to price derivatives. We propose a generic procedure using simultaneously the...

We evaluate the statistical and economic differences between affine term-structure models. Despite the voluminous literature on this subject, we have a limited understanding of those structural features of the models that are important in practice. Given that the key distinguishing...

Previous research concludes that options are mispriced based on the high average returns, CAPM alphas, and Sharpe ratios of various put selling strategies. One criticism of these conclusions is that these benchmarks are ill suited to handle the extreme statistical nature of option returns...

Unspanned stochastic volatility (USV) refers to the inability of bonds to replicate volatility-sensitive derivative securities. Affine term structure models require special restrictions on the parameters to exhibit USV. We use a joint Eurodollar futures and options data set to estimate affine...