On the Relation between EGARCH Idiosyncratic Volatility and Expected Stock Returns

Abstract

A spurious positive relation between EGARCH estimates of expected month t idiosyncratic volatility and month t stock returns arises when the month t return is included in the estimation of model parameters. We illustrate via simulations that this look-ahead bias is problematic for empirically observed degrees of stock return skewness and typical monthly return time series lengths. Moreover, the empirical idiosyncratic-return relation becomes negligible when expected month t idiosyncratic volatility is estimated using returns only upto month t-1.