The Cross-Section of Expected Returns on Defaultable Assets

Abstract

This study examines the model regarding the relation between the expected returns of defaultable asset and default risk factors utilizing CDS (credit default swap). While the previous study estimates the expected returns of CDS using stock price and accounting data, this study introduces new estimation method using CDS term structure. Two factors incorporating market-wide distress risk and recovery risk are considered as the default risk factors. The results of analyzing the Korean corporate CDS market over the sample period from September 2009 to December 2016 are as follows. First, for the expected returns of CDS, there exists the negative risk premium related to market-wide distress risk covariance. Second, the finding of this negative risk premium is robust even after the market risk factors and liquidity factor are controlled for. Third, the negative premium related to recovery risk is observed but it is not statistically significant. These results imply that the investors consider the market-wide distress risk covariance as the main risk factor when pricing the Korean corporate CDSs and they require the reward taking risk as they invest CDS with the lower distress risk covariance. Therefore, our empirical results support the model that the covariance part between individual firm's distress risk and market-wide default risk changes is not diversifiable and thus the investors require the premium for this non-diversifiable risk.