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Exchange Rate Returns Standardized by Realized Volatility Are (Nearly) Gaussian

Author

Listed:
  • Torben G. Andersen
  • Tim Bollerslev
  • Francis X. Diebold
  • Paul Labys

Abstract

The prescriptions of modern financial risk management hinge critically on the associated characterization of the distribution of future returns (cf., Diebold, Gunther and Tay, 1998, and Diebold, Hahn and Tay, 1999). Because volatility persistence renders high-frequency returns temporally dependent (e.g., Bollerslev, Chou and Kroner, 1992), it is the conditional return distribution, and not the unconditional distribution, that is of relevance for risk management. This is especially true in high-frequency situations, such as monitoring and managing the risk associated with the day-to-day operations of a trading desk, where volatility clustering is omnipresent. Exchange rate returns are well-known to be unconditionally symmetric but highly leptokurtic. Standardized daily or weekly returns from ARCH and related stochastic volatility models also appear symmetric but leptokurtic; that is, the distributions are not only unconditionally, but also conditionally leptokurtic, although less so than unconditionally.1 A sizable literature explicitly attempts to model the fat-tailed conditional distributions, including, for example, Bollerslev (1987), Engle and Gonzalez-Rivera (1991), and Hansen (1994).

Suggested Citation

  • Torben G. Andersen & Tim Bollerslev & Francis X. Diebold & Paul Labys, 1999. "Exchange Rate Returns Standardized by Realized Volatility Are (Nearly) Gaussian," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 00-29, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania.
  • Handle: RePEc:wop:pennin:00-29
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:cup:etheor:v:12:y:1996:i:1:p:113-28 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Andersen T. G & Bollerslev T. & Diebold F. X & Labys P., 2001. "The Distribution of Realized Exchange Rate Volatility," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 96, pages 42-55, March.
    3. Torben G. Andersen & Tim Bollerslev & Francis X. Diebold & Paul Labys, 1999. "The Distribution of Exchange Rate Volatility," New York University, Leonard N. Stern School Finance Department Working Paper Seires 99-059, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business-.
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    7. Diebold, Francis X & Gunther, Todd A & Tay, Anthony S, 1998. "Evaluating Density Forecasts with Applications to Financial Risk Management," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 39(4), pages 863-883, November.
    8. Zhou, Bin, 1996. "High-Frequency Data and Volatility in Foreign-Exchange Rates," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 14(1), pages 45-52, January.
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    JEL classification:

    • G0 - Financial Economics - - General
    • C0 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General

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