Long-Run Factors and Fluctuations in Dividend/Price

Abstract

The dynamic dividend growth model linking the log dividend yield to future expected dividend growth and stock market returns has been extensively used in the literature for forecasting stock returns. The empirical evidence on the performance of the model is mixed as its strength varies with the sample choice. This model is derived on the assumption of stationary log dividend-price ratio. The empirical validity of such hypothesis has been challenged in the recent literature (Lettau&Van Nieuwerburgh, 2008) with strong evidence on a time varying mean, due to breaks, in this financial ratio. In this paper, we show that the slowly evolving mean toward which the dividend price ratio is reverting is driven by a demographic factor and a technological trend. We also show that an empirical model using information in long-run factors overperforms virtually all alternative models proposed in the literature within the framework of the dynamic dividend growth model. Finally, we exploit the exogeneity and predictability of the demographic factor to simulate the equity risk premium up to 2050.