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Scale-free tails in Colombian financial indexes: A primer

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  • Carlos León

Abstract

A maximum likelihood method for estimating the power-law exponent verifies that the positive and negative tails of the Colombian stock market index (IGBC) and the Colombian peso exchange rate (TRM) approximate a scale-free distribution, whereas none of the heavy tails of a local sovereign securities index (IDXTES) are a plausible case for such distribution. Results also (i) support critiques regarding the flaws of ordinary least squares estimation methods for scale-free distributions; (ii) question the validity of Zipf’s law; (iii) suggest that IGBC and TRM display the scale-free nature documented as a stylized fact of financial returns, and that they may be following a gradually truncated Lévy flight; and (iv) suggest that local financial markets are self-organized systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos León, 2014. "Scale-free tails in Colombian financial indexes: A primer," Borradores de Economia 812, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdr:borrec:812
    DOI: 10.32468/be.812
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. León, Carlos & Machado, Clara & Sarmiento, Miguel, 2018. "Identifying central bank liquidity super-spreaders in interbank funds networks," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 75-92.
    2. León, C., 2015. "Financial stability from a network perspective," Other publications TiSEM bb2e4e44-e842-45c6-a946-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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    JEL classification:

    • C46 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Specific Distributions
    • C58 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Financial Econometrics
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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