Macro Risks and the Term Structure of Interest Rates

67 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2016 Last revised: 13 May 2018

See all articles by Geert Bekaert

Geert Bekaert

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Finance

Eric Engstrom

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Andrey Ermolov

Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 9, 2018

Abstract

We use non-Gaussian features in U.S. macroeconomic data to identify aggregate supply and demand shocks while imposing minimal economic assumptions. Recessions in the 1970s and 1980s were driven primarily by supply shocks; later recessions by demand shocks. We estimate macro risk factors that drive "bad" (negatively skewed) and "good" (positively skewed) variation for supply and demand shocks. We document that macro risks significantly contribute to the variation of yields, risk premiums and return variances for nominal bonds. While overall bond risk premiums are counter-cyclical, an increase in aggregate demand variance significantly lowers risk premiums.

Keywords: macroeconomic volatility, bond markets, bond return predictability, term premium, macro risks, Great Moderation

JEL Classification: E31, E32, E43, E44, G12, G13

Suggested Citation

Bekaert, Geert and Engstrom, Eric C. and Ermolov, Andrey, Macro Risks and the Term Structure of Interest Rates (May 9, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2832515 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2832515

Geert Bekaert

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Finance ( email )

NY
United States

Eric C. Engstrom (Contact Author)

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States
202-452-3044 (Phone)

Andrey Ermolov

Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business ( email )

113 West 60th Street
Bronx, NY 10458
United States
9179690060 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://faculty.fordham.edu/aermolov1/

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