The VIX, the Variance Premium and Stock Market Volatility
36 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2013
There are 4 versions of this paper
The VIX, the Variance Premium and Stock Market Volatility
The VIX, the Variance Premium and Stock Market Volatility
The VIX, the Variance Premium and Stock Market Volatility
The VIX, the Variance Premium and Stock Market Volatility
Date Written: October 1, 2013
Abstract
We decompose the squared VIX index, derived from US S&P 500 options prices, into the conditional variance of stock returns and the equity variance premium. We evaluate a plethora of state-of-the-art volatility forecasting models to produce an accurate measure of the conditional variance. We then examine the predictive power of the VIX and its two components for stock market returns, economic activity and financial instability. The variance premium predicts stock returns while the conditional stock market variance predicts economic activity and has a relatively higher predictive power for financial instability than does the variance premium.
Keywords: option implied volatility, realized volatility, VIX, variance risk premium, risk aversion, stock return predictability, risk-return trade-off, economic uncertainty, financial instability
JEL Classification: C22, C52, G12, E32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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