We provide the first comprehensive analysis of options-implied information for predicting the cross-section of stock returns by jointly examining extensive sets of firm and option characteristics. Using portfolio sorts and high-dimensional methods, we show that only few option characteristics...

Using a large hand-collected dataset, we provide novel evidence on the additional information embedded in the designs and graphs of financial reports. We find that firms that add graphic financial reports experience a positive 2.7% abnormal returns in the following 3 to 6 months. The finding...

Whether or not anomalies are due to mispricing or risk is an important question. We examine the causal effect of a novel shock to short selling, the Job and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (JGTRRA) of 2003, on an extensive set of 182 anomalies. We find that anomalies become stronger after...

We document strong evidence of cross-sectional predictability of corporate bond returns based on a set of yield predictors that capture the information in the yields of past 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months. Return predictability is economically and statistically significant, and is robust to...

We investigate whether firm fundamentals can explain the shape of option implied volatility (IV)curve. Extending Geske's (1977) compound option model, we link firm fundamentals to the IV curvetheoretically. Using options on all available US-listed companies, we find empirically that...

We investigate an important question for institutional investors — namely, which hedge fund investing styles help to hedge against bad times? We define good versus bad times as (1) up and down equity market regimes derived from the 200-day moving average of the S&P 500 price index or (2)...

We present significant evidence of out-of-sample equity premium predictability for a host of industrialized countries over the postwar period. There are important differences, however, in the nature of equity premium predictability between the United States and other developed countries. Taken...

Welch and Goyal (2008) find that numerous economic variables with in-sample predictive ability for the equity premium fail to deliver consistent out-of-sample forecasting gains relative to the historical average. Arguing that model uncertainty and instability seriously impair the forecasting...

We propose an employee sentiment index, which complements investor sentiment and manager sentiment indices, and find that high employee sentiment predicts a subsequent low market return, significant both in- and out-of-sample. The predictability of the employee sentiment index can also deliver...