Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Dr. Thomas Nitschka
Author-Name-First: Thomas
Author-Name-Last: Nitschka
Author-Person: pni214
Title: Have investors been looking for exposure to specific countries since the global financial crisis? - Insights from the Swiss franc bond market
Abstract: Bonds of Swiss non-government borrowers offered higher daily excess returns ('alphas') than suggested by their sensitivities to standard risk factors over the sample period from 2007 to 2014. By contrast, comparable bonds (same currency denomination and credit rating category) issued by foreign entities did not offer significant risk-adjusted returns and exhibited markedly different sensitivities to Swiss and global risk factors. However, the positive risk-adjusted returns on Swiss bonds disappear when controlling for measures of uncertainty such as stock price volatility. Swiss bond prices rose when stock market volatility was high thus offering insurance in times of uncertainty.
Length: 34 pages
Creation-Date: 2014
Contact-Email: forschung@snb.ch
File-URL: https://www.snb.ch/en/publications/research/working-papers/2014/working_paper_2014_13
File-Format: text/html
Number: 2014-13
Classification-JEL: G10, G12, G15
Keywords: bond return, risk factors, uncertainty
Handle: RePEc:snb:snbwpa:2014-13