Predicting Volatility: Getting the Most out of Return Data Sampled at Different Frequencies / Eric Ghysels, Pedro Santa-Clara, Rossen Valkanov.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ghysels, Eric, 1956-

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Santa-Clara, Pedro.

Valkanov, Rossen I. (Rossen Ivanov), 1973-

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w10914.

NBER working paper series no. w10914

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Predicting Volatility

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2004.

Summary:

We consider various MIDAS (Mixed Data Sampling) regression models to predict volatility. The models differ in the specification of regressors (squared returns, absolute returns, realized volatility, realized power, and return ranges), in the use of daily or intra-daily (5-minute) data, and in the length of the past history included in the forecasts. The MIDAS framework allows us to compare models across all these dimensions in a very tightly parameterized fashion. Using equity return data, we find that daily realized power (involving 5-minute absolute returns) is the best predictor of future volatility (measured by increments in quadratic variation) and outperforms model based on realized volatility (i.e. past increments in quadratic variation). Surprisingly, the direct use of high-frequency (5-minute) data does not improve volatility predictions. Finally, daily lags of one to two months are sucient to capture the persistence in volatility. These findings hold both in- and out-of-sample.

Notes:

Print version record

November 2004.