Cyclical and Persistent Carry Trade Returns and Forward Premia

Abstract

We show that carry trade excess returns and forward premia of exchange rates possess persistent and clear business-cycle patterns. Our results contradict the peso model of hedged carry trade developed by [Burnside, C., M. Eichenbaum, I. Kleshchelski, and S. Rebelo, 2011, Do Peso Problems Explain the Returns to the Carry Trade?, Review of Financial Studies 24(3), 853–891.] and the overconfidence model of carry trade developed by [Burnside, C., B. Han, D. Hirshleifer, and T. Y. Wang, 2011, Investor Overconfidence and the Forward Premium Puzzle, Review of Economic Studies 78(2), 523–558.]. Our results support equilibrium asset pricing models and share the habit formation view of [Verdelhan, A., 2010, A Habit-Based Explanation of the Exchange Rate Risk Premium, Journal of Finance 65(1), 123–145.] that requires countercyclical risk premia. In bad times, when risk aversion is high and domestic interest rates are low, investors require positive currency excess returns. Consistent with [Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2014, Countercyclical Currency Risk Premia, Journal of Financial Economics 111(3), 527–553.] the cyclicality of excess returns is associated with the cyclicality of forward premia. We find that the persistence in forward premia and excess returns is related to their cyclicality. Our results are robust to the [Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2011, Common Risk Factors in Currency Market, Review of Financial Studies 24(11), 3731–3777; Lustig, H., N. Roussanov, and A. Verdelhan, 2014, Countercyclical Currency Risk Premia, Journal of Financial Economics 111(3), 527–553.] high-minus-low (HML) and “dollar carry trade” portfolios.