Yield Curve Factors, Yield Volatility, and the Predictability of Bond Excess Returns

34 Pages Posted: 8 Mar 2008

See all articles by Nikolaus Hautsch

Nikolaus Hautsch

University of Vienna - Department of Statistics and Operations Research

Yangguoyi Ou

Humboldt University of Berlin - School of Business and Economics

Date Written: January 2008

Abstract

We study the predictability of U.S. government bond excess returns using yield curve factors as well as yield volatility components. The yield curve factors are the level, slope and curvature factors extracted from a dynamic Nelson and Siegel (1987) framework. The yield volatility factors correspond to stochastic volatility components associated with the Nelson-Siegel factors, and capture time-varying risk inherent to the yield curve. The model is estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques based on U.S. government yields.

We find that the slope and curvature yield factors explain up to 36% of the variation in future yearly bond excess returns revealing the same predictability as the return-forecasting factor proposed by Cochrane and Piazzesi (2005). Moreover, it turns out that the volatility factors parsimoniously and effectively capture yield curve risk. Including them in forecasting regressions for bond return premia increases the forecasting R-Squared to up to 50%. It is shown that the predictive power of the volatility factors is neither subsumed by Nelson-Siegel type yield curve factors nor the Cochrane-Piazzesi return-forecasting factor. Moreover, we illustrate that the extracted yield curve factors and volatility factors are closely connected to underlying macroeconomic fundamentals.

Keywords: term structure, factor volatilities, bond return premia

JEL Classification: C11, G12, G14

Suggested Citation

Hautsch, Nikolaus and Ou, Yangguoyi, Yield Curve Factors, Yield Volatility, and the Predictability of Bond Excess Returns (January 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1102605 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1102605

Nikolaus Hautsch (Contact Author)

University of Vienna - Department of Statistics and Operations Research ( email )

Kolingasse 14
Vienna, A-1090
Austria

Yangguoyi Ou

Humboldt University of Berlin - School of Business and Economics ( email )

Spandauer Str. 1
Berlin, D-10099
Germany

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