Biographical note: Francis X. Diebold is the Paul F. and Warren S. Miller Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and professor of finance and statistics at the university's Wharton School. Glenn D. Rudebusch is executive vice president and director of economic research at the...

Biographical note: RebonatoRiccardo: Riccardo Rebonato is Head of Group Market Risk and Head of the Quantitative Research Centre (QUARC) for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. He is also a Visiting Lecturer at Oxford University's Mathematical Institute, where he teaches for the MSC/Diploma in...

We show that the stock market price reaction to monetary policy surprises upon announcements of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is explained mostly by changes in the default-free term structure of yields, not by changes in the equity premium. We reach this conclusion based on a new...