On the relevance of realized quarticity for exchange rate volatility forecasts

Abstract

<p>High-frequency tick data have proved helpful for forecasting volatility across asset classes. In the finite samples typically faced by practitioners, however, noise inherent in tick-level prices creates inaccuracies in model parameter estimates and resulting forecasts. A remedy proposed to alleviate these measurement errors is to include higher-order moments, more specifically the realized quarticity, in volatility prediction models. In this paper, we investigate the relevance of this approach in foreign exchange markets, as represented by EURUSD and USDJPY data from 2010 to 2022. Using well-established realized volatility models, we find that including realized quarticity leads to higher precision in daily, weekly, and monthly out-of-sample forecasts. These results are robust across estimation windows, evaluation metrics, and model specifications.</p>