Pricing Deflation Risk with U.S. Treasury Yields
2012-07 :: With Lopez and Rudebusch :: May 2012
+ abstract We use an arbitrage-free term structure model with spanned stochastic volatility to determine the value of the deflation protection option embedded in Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS). The model accurately prices the deflation protection option prior to the financial crisis when its value was near zero; at the peak of the crisis in late 2008 when deflationary concerns spiked sharply; and in the post-crisis period. During 2009, the average value of this option at the five-year maturity was 41 basis points on a par-yield basis.
Could the U.S. Treasury Benefit from Issuing More TIPS?
2011-16 :: With Gillan :: June 2012
+ abstract Yes. We analyze the economic benefit of Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) issuance by estimating the inflation risk premium that penalizes nominal Treasuries vis-a-vis TIPS and the cost derived from TIPS liquidity disadvantage. To account for the latter, we introduce a novel model-independent range for the liquidity premium in TIPS exploiting additional information from inflation swaps. We also adjust our model estimates for finite-sample bias. The resulting measure provides a lower bound to the benefit of TIPS, which is positive on average. Thus, our analysis suggests that the Treasury could save billions of dollars by significantly expanding its TIPS program.
Do Central Bank Liquidity Facilities Affect Interbank Lending Rates?
2009-13 :: With Lopez and Rudebusch :: June 2009
+ abstract In response to the global financial crisis that started in August 2007, central banks provided extraordinary amounts of liquidity to the financial system. To investigate the effect of central bank liquidity facilities on term interbank lending rates, we estimate a six-factor
arbitrage-free model of U.S. Treasury yields, financial corporate bond yields, and term interbank rates. This model can account for fluctuations in the term structure of credit risk and liquidity risk. A significant shift in model estimates after the announcement of
the liquidity facilities suggests that these central bank actions did help lower the liquidity premium in term interbank rates.
Extracting Deflation Probability Forecasts from Treasury Yields
International Journal of Central Banking 8(4), December 2012, 21-60 :: With Lopez and Rudebusch
+ abstract We construct probability forecasts for episodes of price deflation (i.e., a falling price level) using yields on nominal and real U.S. Treasury bonds. The deflation probability forecasts identify two "deflation scares" during the past decade: a mild one following the 2001 recession and a more serious one starting in late 2008 with the deepening of the financial crisis. The estimated deflation probabilities are generally consistent with those from macroeconomic models and surveys of professional forecasters, but they also provide high-frequency insight into the views of financial market participants. The probabilities can also be used to price the deflation protection option embedded in real Treasury bonds.
The Response of Interest Rates to U.S. and U.K. Quantitative Easing
Economic Journal 122(564), November 2012, F385-F414 :: With Rudebusch
+ abstract We analyze declines in government bond yields following announcements by the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England of plans to buy longer term debt. Using dynamic term structure models, we decompose US and UK yields into expectations about future short-term interest rates and term premiums. We find that declines in US yields mainly reflected lower expectations of future short-term interest rates, while declines in UK yields appeared to reflect reduced term premiums. Thus, the relative importance of the signalling and portfolio balance channels of quantitative easing may depend on market institutional structures and central bank communication policies.
The Affine Arbitrage-Free Class of Nelson-Siegel Term Structure Models
Journal of Econometrics 164, September 2011, 4-20 :: With Diebold and Rudebusch
+ abstract We derive the class of affine arbitrage-free dynamic term structure models that approximate the widely-used Nelson-Siegel yield curve specification. These arbitrage-free Nelson-Siegel (AFNS) models can be expressed as slightly restricted versions of the canonical
representation of the three-factor affine arbitrage-free model. Imposing the Nelson-Siegel structure on the canonical model greatly facilitates estimation and can improve predictive performance. In the future, AFNS models appear likely to be a useful workhorse
representation for term structure research.
Inflation Expectations and Risk Premiums in an Arbitrage-Free Model of Nominal and Real Bond Yields
Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking 42, September 2010, 143-178 :: With Lopez and Rudebusch
+ abstract Differences between yields on comparable-maturity U.S. Treasury nominal and real debt, the so-called breakeven inflation (BEI) rates, are widely used indicators of inflation expectations. However, better measures of inflation expectations could be obtained by subtracting inflation risk premiums from the BEI rates. We provide such decompositions using an estimated affine arbitrage-free model of the term structure that captures the pricing of both nominal and real Treasury securities. Our empirical results suggest that long-term inflation expectations have been well anchored over the past few years, and inflation risk premiums, although volatile, have been close to zero on average.
An Arbitrage-Free Generalized Nelson-Siegel Term Structure Model
Econometrics Journal 12(3), November 2009, 33-64 :: With Diebold and Rudebusch
+ abstract The Svensson generalization of the popular Nelson-Siegel term structure model is widely used by practitioners and central banks. Unfortunately, like the original Nelson-Siegel specification, this generalization, in its dynamic form, does not enforce arbitrage-free consistency over time. Indeed, we show that the factor loadings of the Svensson generalization cannot be obtained in a standard finance arbitrage-free affine term structure representation. Therefore, we introduce a closely related generalized Nelson-Siegel model on which the no-arbitrage condition can be imposed. We estimate this new arbitrage-free generalized Nelson-Siegel model and demonstrate its tractability and good in-sample fit.
Confidence Sets for Continuous-Time Rating Transition Probabilities
Journal of Banking and Finance 28, August 2004, 2575-2602 :: With Lando and Hansen
+ abstract This paper addresses the estimation of default probabilities and associated confidence sets with special focus on rare events. Research on rating transition data has documented a tendency for recently downgraded issuers to be at an increased risk of experiencing further downgrades
compared to issuers that have held the same rating for a longer period of time. To capture this non-Markov effect we introduce a continuous-time hidden Markov chain model in which downgrades firms enter into a hidden, "excited" state. Using data from Moody's we estimate the parameters of the model, and conclude that both default probabilities and confidence sets are strongly influenced by the introduction of hidden excited states.
Do Fed TIPS Purchases Affect Market Liquidity?
Economic Letter 2012-07 :: March 5, 2012 :: With Gillan
TIPS Liquidity, Breakeven Inflation, and Inflation Expectations
Economic Letter 2011-19 :: June 20, 2011 :: With Gillan
Has the Treasury Benefited from Issuing TIPS?
Economic Letter 2011-12 :: April 18, 2011 :: With Gillan
TIPS and the Risk of Deflation
Economic Letter 2010-32 :: October 25, 2010
Inflation Expectations and the Risk of Deflation
Economic Letter 2009-34 :: November 2, 2009
Have the Fed Liquidity Facilities Had an Effect on Libor?
Economic Letter 2009-25 :: August 10, 2009
Treasury Bond Yields and Long-Run Inflation Expectations
Economic Letter 2008-25 :: August 15, 2008
The Corporate Bond Credit Spread Puzzle
Economic Letter 2008-10 :: March 14, 2008
Internal Risk Models and the Estimation of Default Probabilities
Economic Letter 2007-29 :: September 28, 2007
Default and Recovery Risk Modeling and Estimation
Ph.D. Dissertation, Copenhagen Business School, February 2007
Joint Estimation of Default and Recovery Risk: A Simulation Study
Presentation, 16th Annual Derivative Securities & Risk Measurement Conference, FDIC Center for Financial Research and Cornell University, April 2006
Recovery Risk Modeling: An Application of the Quadratic Class
Presentation, International Conference on Finance, University of Copenhagen, September 2005
