Arbitrage-free Term Structure Research Articles

Central bank credibility during COVID-19: Evidence from Japan

Japanese realized and expected inflation has been below the Bank of Japan’s two percent target for many years. We examine the impact of announcements of expansionary monetary and fiscal policy under COVID-19 on inflation expectations from an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields. We find that both types of policies failed to lift inflation expectations, which instead declined notably over the pandemic period and are projected to only slowly revert back to Bank of Japan target levels. Our results therefore illustrate the challenges faced in raising well-anchored low inflation expectations.

Volatility Level Dependence and Linear-Rational Term Structure Models

ABSTRACT We outline a subclass of linear-rational term structure models, based on CEV dynamics. A tractable and arbitrage-free term structure results from the linear-rational aspect of the model, independently of the term-structure volatility dynamics that follow from the CEV specification. This specification is devised to capture a flexible degree of volatility-level dependence, i.e., the degree to which yield-curve volatility depends on yield levels. We estimate the model based on a panel of South African swap rates, and extract the degree of volatility-level dependence inherent in the time series of rates, without interference from the shape of the swap curve. The CEV exponent parameters are found to be essential for matching the low degree of volatility-level dependence that tends to be observed in the high interest-rate environments of emerging markets.

Central Bank Credibility During COVID-19: Evidence from Japan

Japanese realized and expected inflation has been below the Bank of Japan’s two percent target for many years. We use the exogenous COVID-19 pandemic shock to examine the efficacy of monetary and fiscal policy responses for elevating inflation expectations from an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields. We find that monetary and fiscal policy announcements during this period failed to lift inflation expectations, which instead declined notably and are projected to only slowly revert back to levels far below the announced target. Hence, our results illustrate the challenges faced in raising well-anchored low inflation expectations.

Monetary reforms and inflation expectations in Japan: Evidence from inflation-indexed bonds

We assess the impact of news concerning recent Japanese monetary reforms on long-term inflation expectations using an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields. Our model accounts for the value of deflation protection embedded in Japanese inflation-indexed bonds issued since 2013, which is sizable and time-varying. Our results suggest that Japanese long-term inflation expectations have remained positive despite extensive spells of deflation, leaving inflation risk premia mostly negative during this period. Moreover, adjusting for deflation protection demonstrates that market responses to policy changes were not as inflationary as they appear under standard modeling procedures. Consequently, the reforms were less “disappointing” than is widely perceived.

Term structure modeling under volatility uncertainty

In this paper, we study term structure movements in the spirit of Heath et al. (Econometrica 60(1):77–105, 1992) under volatility uncertainty. We model the instantaneous forward rate as a diffusion process driven by a G-Brownian motion. The G-Brownian motion represents the uncertainty about the volatility. Within this framework, we derive a sufficient condition for the absence of arbitrage, known as the drift condition. In contrast to the traditional model, the drift condition consists of several equations and several market prices, termed market price of risk and market prices of uncertainty, respectively. The drift condition is still consistent with the classical one if there is no volatility uncertainty. Similar to the traditional model, the risk-neutral dynamics of the forward rate are completely determined by its diffusion term. The drift condition allows to construct arbitrage-free term structure models that are completely robust with respect to the volatility. In particular, we obtain robust versions of classical term structure models.

The TIPS Liquidity Premium

Abstract We introduce an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields that accounts for liquidity risk in Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS). The novel feature of our model is to identify liquidity risk from individual TIPS prices by accounting for the tendency that TIPS, like most fixed-income securities, go into buy-and-hold investors’ portfolios as time passes. We find a sizable and countercyclical TIPS liquidity premium, which helps our model to match TIPS prices. Accounting for liquidity risk also improves the model’s ability to forecast inflation and match surveys of inflation expectations.

The Hull–White model under volatility uncertainty

We study the Hull–White model for the term structure of interest rates in the presence of volatility uncertainty. The uncertainty about the volatility is represented by a set of beliefs, which naturally leads to a sublinear expectation and a G-Brownian motion. The main question in this setting is how to find an arbitrage-free term structure. This question is crucial, since we can show that the classical approach, martingale modeling, does not work in the presence of volatility uncertainty. Therefore, we need to adjust the model in order to find an arbitrage-free term structure. The resulting term structure is affine with respect to the short rate and the adjustment factor. Although the adjustment changes the structure of the model, it is still consistent with the traditional Hull–White model after fitting the yield curve. In addition, we extend the model and the results to a multifactor version, driven by multiple risk factors.

The common and specific components of inflation expectations across European countries

Inflation expectations (IEs) are often considered to be an important determinant of actual inflation in modern economic theory. This paper studies IE estimates across several European countries, focusing particularly on the key factors that determine the IE dynamics. We first use an arbitrage-free term structure model with both nominal and inflation-indexed bond yields to efficiently obtain the estimates for country-specific IEs. Second, we study the common and specific components of IE estimates in a multi-country factor model framework. We find that the estimated common IE component is an important driver for each country of interest especially for those EMU countries and can be used by central banks as a tool to help anchor IEs and enhance the conduct of monetary policy.

The Safety Premium of Safe Assets

Safe assets usually trade at a premium due to their high credit quality and deep liquidity. To understand the role of credit quality for such premia, we focus on Swiss Confederation bonds, which are extremely safe but not particularly liquid. We therefore refer to their premia as safety premia and quantify them using an arbitrage-free term structure model that accounts for time-varying premia in individual bond prices. The estimation results show that Swiss safety premia are large and exhibit long-lasting trends. Furthermore, our regression analysis suggests that they shifted upwards persistently following the launch of the euro but have been depressed in recent years by the asset purchases of the European Central Bank.

Echo over the great wall: Spillover effects of QE announcements on Chinese yield curve

This paper examines the spillover effects of announcements on quantitative easing (QE) conducted in developed economies on the Chinese Treasury yield curve. In spite of China’s firewall of cross-boarder capital control, we find that the US QE announcements move the Chinese yield curve immediately and significantly, through the channels of signaling and portfolio balancing. The results are robust across a variety of event analysis methods using reduced-form or structural models. Using the heteroskedasticity assumption for shock identification in an arbitrage-free term structure model, it was identified that the impact of US QE on Chinese yields was comparable, in size and significance, to China’s own monetary policy shocks.

The TIPS Liquidity Premium

We introduce an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields that accounts for liquidity risk in Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS). The novel feature of our model is to identify liquidity risk from individual TIPS prices by accounting for the tendency that TIPS, like most fixed-income securities, go into buy-and-hold investors’ portfolios as time passes. We find a sizable and countercyclical TIPS liquidity premium, which helps our model to match TIPS prices. Accounting for liquidity risk also improves the model’s ability to forecast inflation and match surveys of inflation expectations, although these series are not included in the estimation.

Assessing Abenomics: Evidence from Inflation-Indexed Japanese Government Bonds

We assess the impact of news concerning the reforms associated with “Abenomics” using an arbitrage-free term structure model of nominal and real yields. Our model explicitly accounts for the deflation protection enhancement embedded in Japanese inflation-indexed bonds issued since 2013, which pay their original nominal principal when deflation has occurred from issue to maturity. The value of this enhancement is sizable and time-varying, with substantive impacts on estimates of expected inflation compensation. After properly accounting for deflation protection, our results suggest that Japanese inflation risk premia were mostly negative during this period. Moreover, long-term inflation expectations remained positive throughout, despite extensive spells of realized deflation. Finally, initial market responses to policy changes associated with Abenomics and afterwards were not as inflationary as they appear under standard modeling procedures, implying that the program was less “disappointing” than many perceive.

A Macro-Finance Term Structure Model for Bond and Dividend Discount Rates

We present an arbitrage-free affine term structure model that jointly prices U.S. Treasury bonds, S&P 500 dividend strips and the S&P 500 equity index as a function of the economy. Our model allows us to extract new insights on how short- and long-duration dividends and their discount rates respond to changes in the economy. Within the affine model, we obtain accurate decompositions of discount rates into risk free rates, inter est rate and dividend risk premiums. Our model is able to price bond and equity claims with high precision and predict economic variables and returns in bonds and short-horizon dividends.

Echo over the Great Wall: Spillover Effects of QE Announcements on Chinese Yield Curve

This paper examines the spillover effects of announcements on quantitative easing (QE) conducted in developed economies on the Chinese Treasury yield curve. In spite of China’s firewall of cross-boarder capital control, we find that the US QE announcements move the Chinese yield curve immediately and significantly, through the channels of signaling and portfolio balancing. The results are robust across a variety of event analysis methods using reduced-form or structural models. Using the heteroskedasticity assumption for shock identification in an arbitrage-free term structure model, it was identified that the impact of US QE on Chinese yields was comparable, in size and significance, to China’s own monetary policy shocks.

Tracing the Impact of the ECB’s Asset Purchase Programme on the Yield Curve

We trace the impact of the ECB’s asset purchase programme (APP) on the sovereign yield curve. Exploiting granular information on sectoral asset holdings and ECB asset purchases, we construct a novel measure of the “free-float of duration risk” borne by price-sensitive investors. We include this supply variable in an arbitrage-free term structure model in which central bank purchases reduce the free-float of duration risk and hence compress term premia of yields. We estimate the stock of current and expected future APP holdings to reduce the 10y term premium by 95 bps. This reduction is persistent, with a half-life of five years. The expected length of the reinvestment period after APP net purchases is found to have a significant impact on term premia. JEL Classification: C5, E43, E52, E58, G12

Expectations and Risk Premia at 8:30 a.m.: Deciphering the Responses of Bond Yields to Macroeconomic Announcements

What explains the sharp movements of the yield curve upon the release of major U.S. macroeconomic announcements? To answer this question, we estimate an arbitrage-free dynamic term structure model with macroeconomic fundamentals as risk factors. We assume that the yield curve reacts to announcements primarily because of the information they contain about the fundamentals of output, inflation, and the Fed’s inflation target. We model the updating process by linking the factor shocks to announcement surprises. Fitting this process to data on yield curve movements in 20-min event windows, we find that most major announcements, especially those about the labor market, are informative largely about the output gap rather than about inflation. The resulting changes in short-rate expectations account for the bulk of observed yield movements. But adjustments in risk premia are also sizable. In partly offsetting the effects of short-rate expectations, these adjustments help to account for the well-known hump-shaped pattern of yield reactions across maturities.

Investment, Tobin’s q, and interest rates

We study the impact of stochastic interest rates and capital illiquidity on investment and firm value by incorporating a widely used arbitrage-free term structure model of interest rates into a standard q theoretic framework. Our generalized q model informs us to use corporate credit-risk information to predict investments when empirical measurement issues of Tobin’s average q are significant (e.g., equity is much more likely to be mis-priced than debt), as in Philippon (2009). We find, consistent with our theory, that credit spreads and bond q have significant predictive powers on micro-level and aggregate investments corroborating the recent empirical work of Gilchrist and Zakrajšek (2012). We also show that the quantitative effects of the stochastic interest rates and capital illiquidity on investment, Tobin’s average q, the duration and user cost of capital, and the value of growth opportunities are substantial. These findings are particularly important in today’s low interest rate environment.

The Common and Specific Components of Inflation Expectation Across European Countries

Inflation expectation (IE) is often considered to be an important determinant of actual inflation in modern economic theory, we are interested in investigating the main risk factors that determine its dynamics. We first apply a joint arbitrage-free term structure model across different European countries to obtain estimate for country-specific IE. Then we use the two-component and three-component models to capture the main risk factors. We discover that the extracted common trend for IE is an important driver for each country of interest. Moreover a spatialtemporal copula model is fitted to account for the non-Gaussian dependency across countries. This paper aims to extract informative estimates for IE and provide good implications for monetary policies.

CDO Pricing: Copula Implied by Risk Neutral Dynamics

When dealing with multi-issuer credit derivatives such as CDO, it is customary to refer the reader to either of two approaches: “static models” which focus on the copula between the variables of interest, and “dynamic models” where the diusion of the underlying variables is described directly. While the former is widely used due to its simplicity, it is not clear that there is a well behaved dynamic model consistent with a given static approach. For this reason, it is often argued that an understanding of the dynamics used in model for CDO is required to bring it to par with derivative models used for other asset classes, such as the risk neutral diusion models used for equity, currency and commodity options derived from Black and Scholes, or the characterization of arbitrage free term structure of interest rates obtained by HJM. Clearly, a “dynamic model” implies a certain copula between the random variables of interest. The goal of this article is to develop a unified view compatible with both approaches, and reach a better understanding of the properties that a good “dynamic model” used for pricing and hedging would have when seen as a static model. We focus on credit models where large homogeneous pool portfolio are mathematically possible, a common assumption among practitioners. In a general credit term structure dynamics framework similar to HJM, we identify a “systemic loss” process linked to the survival dynamics that allows to identify the density of loss for large portfolios, and to explicit the default copula between the issuers. We then apply these results to dierent classes of CDO models that have been put forward for their tractability, to see what copula with implied by given a popular dynamic model, and what dynamic models could give rise to some popular copula model. The three classes we review are the one factor copula models, the markovian loss intensity models, and the systemic intensity jump diusion models.

US-Euro Area Term Structure Spillovers, Implications for Central Banks

Spillovers between the US and euro area term structures of interest rates are examined. Implications for monetary policy are investigated using term-structure metrics that proxy conventional and unconventional instruments, i.e. the short rate, the 10 year term premium, and the 10 year risk-free rate. A new discrete-time arbitrage-free term structure model is used to extract these variables, at a daily frequency during the period covering 2005 to 2016. Relying on forecast error variance decompositions, following Diebold and Yilmaz (2009), it is found that transatlantic spillovers have increased by approximately 11%-points during the examined period, making it more dicult for central banks to directly assess the impact of their policies. JEL Classification: C32, E43, E58