This article examines downside risk premiums using S&P 500 index (SPX) options. Portfolios are constructed using the index options to replicate the downside risk factors and their average excess returns provide estimates of downside risk premiums. We show that all the market risk premium comes...

This paper proposes a new explanation of the negative correlation between VIX betas and expected stock returns documented by Ang et al. (2006). While the relation has been widely cited as the proof that market volatility risk is priced in the cross-section of stocks, we find this view highly...

This paper proposes a framework that decomposes the market risk into three components: upside, downside, and tail risk. Their risk premiums can be estimated using information from either the index options market or the stock market. The estimated premiums from both markets share two important...

This paper develops a new approach to explain why risk factors constructed from option returns are priced in the stock market. We decompose an option- based factor into three main components and identify the one responsible for the beta-return relationship. Applying this method to the bear risk...