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Volatility in International Sovereign Bond Markets: The role of government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • Zaremba, Adam
  • Kizys, Renatas
  • Aharon, David Y.

Abstract

Effective government policies may reduce uncertainty in sovereign bond markets. Can policy responses help to curb bond market volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this, we examine data from 31 developed and emerging markets during the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. We demonstrate that government interventions substantially reduce local sovereign bond volatility. The effect is mainly driven by economic support policies; the containment and closure regulations and health system interventions play no major role.

Suggested Citation

  • Zaremba, Adam & Kizys, Renatas & Aharon, David Y., 2021. "Volatility in International Sovereign Bond Markets: The role of government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:43:y:2021:i:c:s1544612321000921
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2021.102011
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    Cited by:

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    3. Yousaf, Imran & Jareño, Francisco & Tolentino, Marta, 2023. "Connectedness between Defi assets and equity markets during COVID-19: A sector analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    4. Liu, Min, 2022. "The driving forces of green bond market volatility and the response of the market to the COVID-19 pandemic," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 288-309.
    5. Iustina Alina Boitan & Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak, 2021. "The Sovereign-Bank Nexus in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak—Evidence from EU Member States," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Claudiu Tiberiu Albulescu & Eugenia Grecu, 2023. "Government Interventions and Sovereign Bond Market Volatility during COVID-19: A Quantile Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, February.
    7. Baig, Ahmed S. & Chen, Mengxi, 2022. "Did the COVID-19 pandemic (really) positively impact the IPO Market? An Analysis of information uncertainty," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    8. Tissaoui, Kais & Hkiri, Besma & Talbi, Mariem & Alghassab, Waleed & Alfreahat, Khaled Issa, 2021. "Market volatility and illiquidity during the COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from the Saudi stock exchange through the wavelet coherence approaches," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    9. Demir, Ender & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk, 2021. "Banking sector reactions to COVID-19: The role of bank-specific factors and government policy responses," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    10. Semeyutin, Artur & Downing, Gareth, 2022. "Co-jumps in the U.S. interest rates and precious metals markets and their implications for investors," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    11. Aharon, David Y. & Baig, Ahmed S. & DeLisle, R. Jared, 2022. "The impact of government interventions on cross-listed securities: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    12. Li, Jianhui & Ruan, Xinfeng & Zhang, Jin E., 2022. "The price of COVID-19-induced uncertainty in the options market," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    13. Francisco Jareño & María-Isabel Martínez-Serna & María Chicharro, 2023. "Government Bonds and COVID-19. An International Evaluation Under Different Market States," Evaluation Review, , vol. 47(3), pages 433-478, June.
    14. Candelon, Bertrand & Moura, Rubens, 2023. "Sovereign yield curves and the COVID-19 in emerging markets," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    15. Francisco Jareño & Ana Escribano & Zaghum Umar, 2023. "The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the connectedness of the BRICS’s term structure," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    16. Bȩdowska-Sójka, Barbara & Kliber, Agata, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 on sovereign risk: Latin America versus Asia," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    17. Bhatia, Madhur, 2023. "On the efficiency of the gold returns: An econometric exploration for India, USA and Brazil," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    18. Sanjay Kumar Rout & Hrushikesh Mallick, 2022. "Sovereign Bond Market Shock Spillover Over Different Maturities: A Journey from Normal to Covid-19 Period," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 29(4), pages 697-734, December.
    19. Pedro M. Nogueira Reis, 2022. "Determinants of Qualified Investor Sentiment during the COVID-19 Pandemic in North America, Asia, and Europe," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19 pandemic; Coronavirus outbreak; Government policy responses; Containment and closure; Economic support; Sovereign bonds; Government bond market volatility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H12 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Crisis Management
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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