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Oil Price Volatility and the Role of Speculation

Author

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  • Samya Beidas-Strom
  • Mr. Andrea Pescatori

Abstract

How much does speculation contribute to oil price volatility? We revisit this contentious question by estimating a sign-restricted structural vector autoregression (SVAR). First, using a simple storage model, we show that revisions to expectations regarding oil market fundamentals and the effect of mispricing in oil derivative markets can be observationally equivalent in a SVAR model of the world oil market à la Kilian and Murphy (2013), since both imply a positive co-movement of oil prices and inventories. Second, we impose additional restrictions on the set of admissible models embodying the assumption that the impact from noise trading shocks in oil derivative markets is temporary. Our additional restrictions effectively put a bound on the contribution of speculation to short-term oil price volatility (lying between 3 and 22 percent). This estimated short-run impact is smaller than that of flow demand shocks but possibly larger than that of flow supply shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Samya Beidas-Strom & Mr. Andrea Pescatori, 2014. "Oil Price Volatility and the Role of Speculation," IMF Working Papers 2014/218, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2014/218
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. Benjamin Beckers & Samya Beidas-Strom, 2015. "Forecasting the Nominal Brent Oil Price with VARs—One Model Fits All?," IMF Working Papers 2015/251, International Monetary Fund.
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    15. Caldara, Dario & Cavallo, Michele & Iacoviello, Matteo, 2019. "Oil price elasticities and oil price fluctuations," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-20.
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    17. Jin, Xin, 2019. "The role of market expectations in commodity price dynamics: Evidence from oil data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 1-18.
    18. Piersanti, Giovanni & Piersanti, Mirko & Cicone, Antonio & Canofari, Paolo & Di Domizio, Marco, 2020. "An inquiry into the structure and dynamics of crude oil price using the fast iterative filtering algorithm," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    19. Yao Axel Ehouman, 2021. "Dependence structure between oil price volatility and sovereign credit risk of oil exporters : Evidence using a Copula Approach," Post-Print hal-03348410, HAL.
    20. Robert Socha & Piotr Wdowiński, 2018. "Crude oil price and speculative activity: a cointegration analysis," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 10(3), pages 263-304, September.
    21. Rosnawintang Rosnawintang & Tajuddin Tajuddin & Pasrun Adam & Yuwanda Purnamasari Pasrun & La Ode Saidi, 2021. "Effects of Crude Oil Prices Volatility, the Internet and Inflation on Economic Growth in ASEAN-5 Countries: A Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 15-21.
    22. Saleh Mothana Obadi & Matej Korecek, 2018. "The Crude Oil Price and Speculations: Investigation Using Granger Causality Test," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 8(3), pages 275-282.
    23. Yao Axel Ehouman, 2020. "Dependence structure between oil price volatility and sovereign credit risk of oil exporters: Evidence using a Copula Approach," EconomiX Working Papers 2020-31, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

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