This paper presents an empirical evaluation of recently proposed asset pricing models which extend the standard preference specification by a reference level of consumption. The novelty is that we use a broad cross-section of test assets, which provides a level playing field for a comparison to...

A simple manipulation of the cointegrated framework proposed by Lettau and Ludvigson (2001, 2004) allows to demonstrate that temporary fluctuations of the U.S. consumption-wealth ratio predict excess returns on international stock markets. This finding is the reflection of an important common,...

The decomposition of a European market return into cashflow and discount rate news components suggests that returns on European and country value portfolios react more sensitive to news about the European market returnś cashflows than the corresponding growth portfolios. This evidence is...

Proprietors are an important group of stockholders and non-diversifiable entrepreneurial risk could therefore help explain time-varying risk premia on the aggregate stock market. This paper suggests an entrepreneurial distress factor that is highly correlated with the aggregate...

We report results on the ex ante predictability of monthly excess stock returns in Germany using real-time and revised macroeconomic data. Our real-time macroeconomic data cover the period 1994-2005. We report three results. 1) Real-time macroeconomic data did not contribute much to ex ante...