Bond Supply and Excess Bond Returns

47 Pages Posted: 9 Jun 2008

See all articles by Robin M. Greenwood

Robin M. Greenwood

Harvard Business School - Finance Unit; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Dimitri Vayanos

London School of Economics; Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Date Written: February 2008

Abstract

We examine empirically how the maturity structure of government debt affects bond yields and excess returns. Our analysis is based on a theoretical model of preferred habitat in which clienteles with strong preferences for specific maturities trade with arbitrageurs. Consistent with the model, we find that (i) the supply of long- relative to short-term bonds is positively related to the term spread, (ii) supply predicts positively long-term bonds' excess returns even after controlling for the term spread and the Cochrane-Piazzesi factor, (iii) the effects of supply are stronger for longer maturities, and (iv) following periods when arbitrageurs have lost money, both supply and the term spread are stronger predictors of excess returns.

Keywords: bond prices, limited arbitrage, preferred habitat, return predictability

JEL Classification: G1, H6

Suggested Citation

Greenwood, Robin M. and Vayanos, Dimitri, Bond Supply and Excess Bond Returns (February 2008). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6694, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1141016

Robin M. Greenwood

Harvard Business School - Finance Unit ( email )

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Dimitri Vayanos (Contact Author)

London School of Economics ( email )

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Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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