The Term Structure of Equity Risk Premia

51 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2019 Last revised: 29 Jul 2022

See all articles by Ravi Bansal

Ravi Bansal

Duke University and NBER

Shane Miller

University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Dongho Song

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School

Amir Yaron

University of Pennsylvania -- Wharton School of Business; Bank of Israel; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: March 2019

Abstract

We use traded equity dividend strips from U.S., Europe, and Japan from 2004-2017 to study the slope of the term structure of equity dividend risk premia. In the data, a robust finding is that the term structure of dividend risk premia (growth rates) is positively (negatively) sloped in expansions and negatively (positively) sloped in recessions. We develop a consumption-based regime switching model which matches these robust data-features and the historical probabilities of recession and expansion regimes. The unconditional population term structure of dividend-risk premia in the regime-switching model, as in standard asset pricing models (habits and long-run risks), is increasing with maturity. The regime-switching model also features a declining average term structure of dividend risk-premia if recessions are over-represented in a short sample, as is the case in the data sample from Europe and Japan. In sum, our analysis shows that the empirical evidence in dividend strips is entirely consistent with a positively sloped term structure of dividend risk-premia as implied by standard asset pricing models.

Suggested Citation

Bansal, Ravi and Miller, Shane and Song, Dongho and Yaron, Amir and Yaron, Amir, The Term Structure of Equity Risk Premia (March 2019). NBER Working Paper No. w25690, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3359490

Ravi Bansal (Contact Author)

Duke University and NBER ( email )

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
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Shane Miller

University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business ( email )

701 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234
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Dongho Song

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School ( email )

Baltimore, MD 20036-1984
United States

Amir Yaron

University of Pennsylvania -- Wharton School of Business ( email )

The Wharton School
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Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
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215-898-6200 (Fax)

Bank of Israel

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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