We examine the extent to which the profitability of the HML, SMB, and WML trading strategies can be linked to future GDP growth. Using a large cross-section of securities from ten developed markets, we find that the HML and SMB portfolios contain significant information about future GDP growth. The predictive ability of these strategies is to a large degree independent of any information contained in the domestic market factor, which is known to be a leading indicator of economic growth. Even in the presence of popular business cycle variables, HML and SMB retain their ability to predict future economic growth in some of the countries examined. Our results support a risk-based explanation for the performance of the HML and SMB trading strategies. Little evidence was found to support such an explanation in the case of the WML trading strategy.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
2180.
Find related papers by JEL classification: G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
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John H. Cochrane, 1999.
"New Facts in Finance,"
NBER Working Papers
7169, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
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John H. Cochrane, 1999.
"New Facts in Finance,"
CRSP working papers
490, Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
[Downloadable!]