I study time-variation in variance discount rates, defined as the expected returns for investing in variance risk. I show that variance discount rates drive a significant fraction of the variation in prices of S&P 500 variance swaps. This analysis offers important insights into preferences of...

We propose a multivariate test based on no-arbitrage conditions under the stochastic discount factor approach, which compares cross-sectional variation in equity returns to the cross-sectional variation in their conditional covariance with the discount factors. Using the multivariate generalized...

This chapter reviews the behavior of financial asset prices in relation to consumption. The chapter lists some important stylized facts that characterize U.S. data, and relates them to recent developments in equilibrium asset pricing theory. Data from other countries are examined to see which...