Emre Yoldas

Autocontours: Dynamic Specification Testing

We propose a new battery of dynamic specification tests for the joint hypothesis of iid-ness and density function based on the fundamental properties of independent random variables with identical distributions. We introduce a device—the autocontour—whose shape is very sensitive to departures from the null in either direction, thus providing superior power. The tests are parametric with asymptotic t and chi-squared limiting distributions and standard convergence rates. They do not require a transformation of the original data or a Kolmogorov style assessment of goodness-of-fit, explicitly account for parameter uncertainty, and have superior finite sample properties. An application to autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) models for trade durations shows that the difficulty with the assumed densities lies on the probability assigned to very small durations. Supplemental materials for this article are available online.

Non-linearity in the inflation–growth relationship in developing economies: Evidence from a semiparametric panel model ☆

Using data on developing economies, we estimate a flexible semiparametric panel data model that incorporates potentially nonlinear effects of inflation on economic growth. We find that inflation is associated with significantly lower growth only after it reaches about 12 percent, which is notably lower than the comparable estimate obtained from a threshold model. Our results also suggest that models with restrictive functional form assumptions tend to underestimate marginal effects of inflation on economic growth. We also document significant variation in the effect of inflation on growth across countries and over time.

Cyclical Dynamics of the Turkish Economy and the Stock Market

Abstract We analyze the cyclical dynamics of the Turkish economy and the stock market as well as their interactions. We use hidden Markov models that are robust to parameter instability arising from major shifts in economic policy, which have been typically observed in the Turkish economy. These models provide estimates of turning points for the growth, business, and stock market cycles. We identify three states of growth cycles and two states of business cycles in Turkey characterized by different mean estimates. We find that the economy went through five recessions since 1987. Crises are characterized by sharp drops in economic activity and are preceded by slowdowns. These crises are typically followed by strong recoveries during which the economy grows above its long-run average rate. We show that the Turkish stock market goes through three regimes having distinct risk-return dynamics. Bear markets associated with negative returns precede every recession with an average lead time of three quarters, suggesting that the stock market may be a useful forward-looking indicator of the Turkish economy.

Public debt and macroeconomic activity: a predictive analysis for advanced economies

Abstract Using post-war data on advanced economies, we find that a higher public debt ratio predicts marginally slower GDP growth under the assumption of a linear relationship. This result is robust to strong persistence in debt ratio, which may cause finite sample bias in estimation and inference. In the nonlinear framework, we find only weak support for piece-wise linear models that explicitly incorporate the idea of a debt tipping point. The threshold estimates from such models are subject to a high level of uncertainty and are sensitive to assumptions on minimum number of observations in each regime. However, using a flexible semiparametric model we uncover that the predictive function is highly complex and behaves quite differently at low, intermediate and high levels of debt. Of particular interest to the recent debate on effects of higher public indebtedness on growth, we find that average annual GDP growth gradually declines by about 0.5% as debt ratio climbs from about 75% to 100%, with most of the effect taking place over the 85–95% range.

Effects of Changing Monetary and Regulatory Policy on Overnight Money Markets

Money markets have been operating under a new monetary policy implementation framework since the Federal Reserve started paying interest on bank reserves in late 2008. The regulatory environment has also evolved substantially over this period. We develop and test hypotheses regarding the effects of changes in the monetary and regulatory policy on dynamics of key overnight funding markets. We find that the federal funds rate continued to provide an anchor, albeit weaker, for unsecured funding rates amid substantial decline in activity and changing composition of trades, while its transmission to the repo market had been hampered. The overnight reverse repurchase (ON RRP) operations that started in late 2013 contributed to stronger co-movement among overnight funding rates and markedly reduced their volatility. The change in the FDIC assessment fees and Basel III leverage ratio regulations have exacerbated financial-reporting-day effects in unsecured markets. In contrast, consistent with lower dealer leverage in the post-crisis period, such effects have weakened in the repo market, especially after the inception of the ON RRP facility. Finally, superabundant bank reserves appear to have significantly diminished the effects of reserve-maintenance on the money market rates.

Dynamics of Overnight Money Markets: What Has Changed at the Zero Lower Bound?

In this note we provide a comparative analysis of overnight money market dynamics before the crisis and after the target federal funds rate (FFR) has been lowered to the zero lower bound (ZLB).

Threshold Asymmetries in Equity Return Distributions: Statistical Tests and Investment Implications

Abstract In this paper we investigate asymmetries in time-varying means, volatilities, correlations, and betas of equity returns in a multivariate threshold framework. We consider alternative specifications in which the threshold variable is based on well established equity pricing factors and predictors. We find strong threshold effects with respect to market excess return, value premium, and term spread. Our results indicate that the threshold model based on the market excess return provides a flexible and computationally inexpensive specification for modeling asymmetries. We test significance of specific forms of asymmetries using subsampling methods. We compare performance of the proposed threshold model with a variety of alternatives in an out-of-sample setup and find that the threshold model performs remarkably well, especially for investors with relatively high risk aversion.