Let e and S be respectively the vector of shocks and its variance covariance matrix in a linear system of equations in reduced form. This article shows that a unique orthogonal variance decomposition can be obtained if we impose a restriction that maximizes the trace of A, a positive definite...

This article extends the variance ratio test of Lo and MacKinlay (1988) to tests of skewness and kurtosis ratios. The proposed tests are based on generalized methods of moments. In particular, overlapping observations are used and their dependencies (under the IID assumption) are explicitly...

CA representative pensioner is considered for the evaluation of some of the cost factors for the career-average-revalued-earnings (CARE) defined benefit scheme of USS (the Universities Superannuation Scheme). Since the promised benefit increases with inflation, the return on the pension...

Contrary to public perception, this article finds Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the largest defined benefit pension in UK, is more likely to be in surplus rather than deficit. Evidence is provided to show that neither low gilt yields nor high valuations imply low future returns on...

We show that the probability of information-based trade (PIN) played a significant role in explaining monthly returns on Shanghai A shares over the period 2001 to 2006. In particular, PIN, as approximated by order imbalance as a proportion of total transactions, appears to explain returns even...

This article extends the variance ratio test of Lo and MacKinlay (1988) to tests of skewness and kurtosis ratios. The proposed tests are based on generalized methods of moments. In particular, overlapping observations are used and their dependencies (under the IID assumption) are explicitly...

This paper investigates the relationship between credit and liquidity risk components in the UK interbank spread during the recent financial crisis and sheds light on the transmission mechanism of the quantitative easing (QE) carried out by the Bank of England on short term interest rates....

Using a variance decomposition approach, we examine the importance of accounting information - in particular the cash flow and accruals components of earnings - in explaining the variation in UK company stock returns. We extend prior research by analysing whether auditor quality moderates the...