The Declining Asset Return Predictability and Macroeconomic Volatility

Abstract

We document strong U.S. stock and bond return predictability from several macroeconomic volatility series before 1982. Return predictability declined significantly during the Great Moderation in the post-1982 sample. Our empirical finding is robust to out-of-sample "real time" forecasts in terms of root mean square errors. We explore this result using a model incorporating monetary policy and shocks with time-varying volatility. The predictability decline is consistent with changes in both policy and shock dynamics. While an increase in the response to inflation in the interest-rate policy rule decreases volatility, more persistent shocks with reduced volatility explain the lower predictability.

Keywords: Return Predictability, Monetary Policy, Stochastic Volatility

JEL Classification: E50, G12, G18