Estimating the Equity Premium
Abstract
To estimate the equity premium, it is helpful to use finance theory: not the old-fashioned theory that efficient markets imply a constant equity premium, but theory that restricts the time-series behavior of valuation ratios, and that links the cross-section of stock prices to the level of the equity premium. Under plausible conditions, valuation ratios such as the dividend-price ratio should not have trends or explosive behavior. This fact can be used to strengthen the evidence for predictability in stock returns. Steady-state valuation models are also useful predictors of stock returns given the high degree of persistence in valuation ratios and the difficulty of estimating free parameters in regression models for stock returns. A steady-state approach suggests that the world geometric average equity premium was almost 4% at the end of March 2007, implying a world arithmetic average equity premium somewhat above 5%. Both valuation ratios and the cross-section of stock prices imply that the equity premium fell considerably in the late 20th Century, but has risen modestly in the early years of the 21st Century.Download Info
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 13423.Length:
Date of creation: Sep 2007
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13423
Note: AP ME
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Related research
Keywords:Other versions of this item:
- Campbell, John, 2008. "Estimating the Equity Premium," Scholarly Articles 3196339, Harvard University Department of Economics.
- G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2007-09-30 (All new papers)
- NEP-CFN-2007-09-30 (Corporate Finance)
- NEP-FMK-2007-09-30 (Financial Markets)
- NEP-RMG-2007-09-30 (Risk Management)
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Paulo M.M. Rodrigues & Antonio Rubia, 2011. "A Class of Robust Tests in Augmented Predictive Regressions," Working Papers w201126, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
- Marcelo Bianconi & Joe A. Yoshino, 2012. "Empirical Estimation of the Cost of Equity: An Application to Selected Brazilian Utilities Companies," Discussion Papers Series, Department of Economics, Tufts University 0765, Department of Economics, Tufts University.
- Karl Walentin, 2010.
"Earnings Inequality and the Equity Premium,"
The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics,
De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 36.
- Walentin, Karl, 2007. "Earnings Inequality and the Equity Premium," Working Paper Series 215, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden).
- Nieto, Belén & Rubio, Gonzalo, 2011. "The volatility of consumption-based stochastic discount factors and economic cycles," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2197-2216, September.
- Francesco Menoncin & Paolo Panteghini, 2009.
"Retrospective Capital Gains Taxation in the Real World,"
CESifo Working Paper Series
2674, CESifo Group Munich.
- Francesco Menoncin & Paolo Panteghini, 2009. "Retrospective Capital Gains taxation in the real world," Working Papers 0910, University of Brescia, Department of Economics.
- Ferreira, Miguel A. & Santa-Clara, Pedro, 2011. "Forecasting stock market returns: The sum of the parts is more than the whole," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(3), pages 514-537, June.
- Jessica A. Wachter & Missaka Warusawitharana, 2011.
"What is the Chance that the Equity Premium Varies over Time? Evidence from Predictive Regressions,"
NBER Working Papers
17334, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Missaka Warusawitharana & Jessica A. Wachter, 2009. "What is the chance that the equity premium varies over time? evidence from predictive regressions," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2009-26, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
- Yannick Le Pen & Benoît Sévi, 2013.
"Futures Trading and the Excess Comovement of Commodity Prices,"
AMSE Working Papers
1301, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, Marseille, France, revised Jan 2013.
- Yannick Le Pen & Benoît Sévi, 2013. "Futures Trading and the Excess Comovement of Commodity Prices," Working Papers halshs-00793724, HAL.
- Angelidis, Timotheos & Tessaromatis, Nikolaos, 2010. "The efficiency of Greek public pension fund portfolios," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 2158-2167, September.
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