This paper evaluates the role of various volatility specifications, such as multiple stochastic volatility (SV) factors and jump components, in appropriate modeling of equity return distributions. We use estimation technology that facilitates nonnested model comparisons and use a long data set...

The purpose of this paper is to shed further light on the tensions that exist between the empirical fit of stochastic volatility (SV) models and their linkage to option pricing. A number of recent papers have investigated several specifications of one-factor SV diffusion models associated with...

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new class of jump diffusions which feature both stochastic volatility and random intensity jumps. Previous studies have focused primarily on pure jump processes with constant intensity and log-normal jumps or constant jump intensity combined with a one...