Resolving the Spanning Puzzle in Macro-Finance Term Structure Models
Review of Finance, 2016
56 Pages Posted: 3 Nov 2014 Last revised: 26 Jan 2017
There are 2 versions of this paper
Resolving the Spanning Puzzle in Macro-Finance Term Structure Models
Resolving the Spanning Puzzle in Macro-Finance Term Structure Models
Date Written: May 12, 2016
Abstract
Most existing macro-finance term structure models (MTSMs) appear incompatible with regression evidence of unspanned macro risk. This “spanning puzzle” appears to invalidate those models in favor of new unspanned MTSMs. However, our empirical analysis supports the previous spanned models. Using simulations to investigate the spanning implications of MTSMs, we show that a canonical spanned model is consistent with the regression evidence; thus, we resolve the spanning puzzle. In addition, direct likelihood-ratio tests find that the knife-edge restrictions of unspanned models are rejected with high statistical significance, though these restrictions have only small effects on cross-sectional fit and estimated term premia.
Keywords: yield curve, term structure models, macro-finance, unspanned macro risk, monetary policy
JEL Classification: E43, E44, E52
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation