Journal of Financial Econometrics Advance Access originally published online on May 17, 2006
Journal of Financial Econometrics 2006 4(3):353-384; doi:10.1093/jjfinec/nbj014
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Leverage and Volatility Feedback Effects in High-Frequency Data
Duke University
The Brattle Group
Duke University
Address correspondence to Tim Bollerslev, Department of Economics, Duke University, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708, or e-mail: boller{at}econ.duke.edu.
We examine the relationship between volatility and past and future returns using high-frequency aggregate equity index data. Consistent with a prolonged "leverage" effect, we find the correlations between absolute high-frequency returns and current and past high-frequency returns to be significantly negative for several days, whereas the reverse cross-correlations are generally negligible. We also find that high-frequency data may be used in more accurately assessing volatility asymmetries over longer daily return horizons. Furthermore, our analysis of several popular continuous-time stochastic volatility models clearly points to the importance of allowing for multiple latent volatility factors for satisfactorily describing the observed volatility asymmetries.
KEYWORDS: high-frequency data, leverage effect, stochastic volatility models, temporal aggregation, volatility asymmetry, volatility feedback effect
Received May 25, 2005; revised February 20, 2006; accepted March 9, 2006