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Option-Based Credit Spreads

Author

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  • Christopher L. Culp
  • Yoshio Nozawa
  • Pietro Veronesi

Abstract

We present a novel empirical benchmark for analyzing credit risk using "pseudo firms" that purchase traded assets financed with equity and zero-coupon bonds. By no-arbitrage, pseudo bonds are equivalent to Treasuries minus put options on pseudo firm assets. Empirically, like corporate spreads, pseudo bond spreads are large, countercyclical, and predict lower economic growth. Using this framework, we find that bond market illiquidity, investors' overestimation of default risks, and corporate frictions do not seem to explain excessive observed credit spreads but, instead, a risk premium for tail and idiosyncratic asset risks is the primary determinant of corporate spreads.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher L. Culp & Yoshio Nozawa & Pietro Veronesi, 2018. "Option-Based Credit Spreads," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(2), pages 454-488, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:108:y:2018:i:2:p:454-88
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.20151606
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 1993. "Common risk factors in the returns on stocks and bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 3-56, February.
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    3. Gregory R. Duffee, 1998. "The Relation Between Treasury Yields and Corporate Bond Yield Spreads," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(6), pages 2225-2241, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Turalay Kenc & Emrah Ismail Cevik & Sel Dibooglu, 2021. "Bank default indicators with volatility clustering," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 127-151, March.
    2. Kim, Sung Ik, 2023. "A comparative study of firm value models: Default risk of corporate bonds," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    3. Bai, Jennie & Bali, Turan G. & Wen, Quan, 2019. "Common risk factors in the cross-section of corporate bond returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(3), pages 619-642.
    4. Yinghui Chen & Lunan Jiang, 2019. "Liquidity Risk and Corporate Bond Yield Spread: Evidence from China," CFDS Discussion Paper Series 2019/9, Center for Financial Development and Stability at Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
    5. Niu, Huawei & Hua, Wei, 2019. "An endogenous structural credit risk model incorporating with moral hazard and rollover risk," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 47-59.
    6. Thaddeus Neururer, 2020. "Past managerial guidance and returns to variance trading around earnings announcements," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(3), pages 2995-3031, September.
    7. Bai, Jennie & Goldstein, Robert S. & Yang, Fan, 2020. "Is the credit spread puzzle a myth?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(2), pages 297-319.
    8. Cremers, Martijn & Fleckenstein, Matthias & Gandhi, Priyank, 2021. "Treasury yield implied volatility and real activity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(2), pages 412-435.
    9. Jorge Cruz Lopez & Alfredo Ibanez, 2020. "European Puts, Credit Protection, and Endogenous Default," University of Western Ontario, Departmental Research Report Series 20205, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics.
    10. Turalay Kenc & Emrah Ismail Cevik, 2021. "Estimating volatility clustering and variance risk premium effects on bank default indicators," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1373-1392, November.
    11. Jing-Zhi Huang & Bibo Liu & Zhan Shi, 2023. "Determinants of Short-Term Corporate Yield Spreads: Evidence from the Commercial Paper Market," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 27(2), pages 539-579.
    12. Bai, Jennie & Goldstein, Robert S. & Yang, Fan, 2019. "The leverage effect and the basket-index put spread," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(1), pages 186-205.
    13. Leopoldo Catania & Alessandra Luati & Pierluigi Vallarino, 2021. "Economic vulnerability is state dependent," CREATES Research Papers 2021-09, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    14. Luca Benzoni & Lorenzo Garlappi & Robert Goldstein, 2023. "Incomplete Information, Debt Issuance, and the Term Structure of Credit Spreads," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(7), pages 4331-4352, July.
    15. Thaddeus Neururer & George Papadakis & Edward J. Riedl, 2020. "The Effect of Reporting Streaks on Ex Ante Uncertainty," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(8), pages 3771-3787, August.
    16. Chan, Ka Kei & Kolokolova, Olga & Lin, Ming-Tsung & Poon, Ser-Huang, 2023. "Price convergence between credit default swap and put option: New evidence," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 188-213.
    17. Diogo Duarte & Rodolfo Prieto & Marcel Rindisbacher & Yuri F. Saporito, 2022. "Vanishing Contagion Spreads," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(1), pages 740-772, January.
    18. Gruenthaler, Thomas & Lorenz, Friedrich & Meyerhof, Paul, 2022. "Option-based intermediary leverage," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    19. Gemmill, Gordon & Marra, Miriam, 2019. "Explaining CDS prices with Merton’s model before and after the Lehman default," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 93-109.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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