Christophe Boucher

Macroéconomie internationale, finance, matières premières et économétrie financière

2018-39

Christophe Boucher, Sessi Tokpavi

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Abstract: This paper gives new insights about flight-to-safety from stocks to bonds, asking whether the strength of this phenomenon remains the same in the current environment of low yields. The motivations lie on the conjecture that when yields are low, the traditional motives of flight-to-safety (wealth protection, liquidity) could not be sufficient, inducing weaker flight-to-safety events. Empirical applications using data for US government bonds and the S&P 500 index, show indeed that when yields are low, the strength of flight-to-safety from stocks to bonds weakens. Moreover, we develop a bivariate model of flight-to-safety transfers that measures to what extent the strength of flight-to-safety from stocks to bonds is related to the strength of flight-to-safety from stocks to other safe haven assets (gold and currencies). Results show that when the strength of flight-to-safety from stocks to bonds decreases the strength of flight-to-safety from stocks to gold increases. This result holds only in the current low-yield environment, suggesting a shift in the historical attractiveness of bonds as safe haven.
Mot(s) clé(s): Bonds stocks relationship, Flight-to-Safety, Low-yield environment, Bond alternatives, Currencies, Gold.

2017-20

Christophe Boucher, Elena Ivona Dumitrescu, Sessi Tokpavi, Gilles de Truchis

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Abstract: This paper proposes a simple and parsimonious semi-parametric testing procedure for variance transmission. Our test focuses on conditional extreme values of the unobserved process of integrated variance since they are of utmost concern for policy makers due to their sudden and destabilizing effects. The test statistic is based on realized measures of variance and has a convenient asymptotic chi-square distribution under the null hypothesis of no Granger causality, which is free of estimation risk. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations show that the test has good small sample size and power properties. An extension to the case of spillovers in quadratic variation is also developed. An empirical application on extreme variance transmission from US to EU equity markets is further proposed. We find that the test performs very well in identifying periods of significant causality in extreme variance, that are subsequently found to be correlated with changes in US monetary policy.
Mot(s) clé(s): Extreme volatility transmission, Granger causality, Integrated variance, Realized variance, Semi-parametric test, Financial contagion.