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The FOMC announcement returns on long-term US and German bond futures

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  • Indriawan, Ivan
  • Jiao, Feng
  • Tse, Yiuman

Abstract

We examine the impact of monetary policy announcements by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on long-term US and German bond futures. Using transaction-level data during the post-financial crisis period, we observe a sizable post-announcement drift in government bond markets. A trading strategy of investing in the market after expansionary shocks and shorting the market following contractionary surprises yields up to four times the Sharpe ratio of buy-and-hold investment. The post-FOMC announcement drift coincides with more informative order flows in the post-announcement period, and it persists for 15 days. Moreover, our study shows an absence of pre-FOMC announcement drift. Our findings shed some light on how the bond markets react to public news arrival.

Suggested Citation

  • Indriawan, Ivan & Jiao, Feng & Tse, Yiuman, 2021. "The FOMC announcement returns on long-term US and German bond futures," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:123:y:2021:i:c:s0378426620302880
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2020.106027
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    Cited by:

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    3. Manjhi, Ganesh & Shah, Raashid, 2025. "What do sentiments of budget speeches mean for stock returns?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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