The Journal of Finance

The Journal of Finance publishes leading research across all the major fields of finance. It is one of the most widely cited journals in academic finance, and in all of economics. Each of the six issues per year reaches over 8,000 academics, finance professionals, libraries, and government and financial institutions around the world. The journal is the official publication of The American Finance Association, the premier academic organization devoted to the study and promotion of knowledge about financial economics.

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Industry Returns and the Fisher Effect

Published: 12/01/1994   |   DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1994.tb04774.x

JACOB BOUDOUKH, MATTHEW RICHARDSON, ROBERT F. WHITELAW

We investigate the cross‐sectional relation between industry‐sorted stock returns and expected inflation, and we find that this relation is linked to cyclical movements in industry output. Stock returns of noncyclical industries tend to covary positively with expected inflation, while the reverse holds for cyclical industries. From a theoretical perspective, we describe a model that captures both (i) the cross‐sectional variation in these relations across industries, and (ii) the negative and positive relation between stock returns and inflation at short and long horizons, respectively. The model is developed in an economic environment in which the spirit of the Fisher model is preserved.


Ex Ante Bond Returns and the Liquidity Preference Hypothesis

Published: 12/17/2002   |   DOI: 10.1111/0022-1082.00140

Jacob Boudoukh, Matthew Richardson, Tom Smith, Robert F. Whitelaw

We provide a formal test of the liquidity preference hypothesis (LPH), that is, the monotonicity of ex ante term premiums, using nonparametric estimates that do not require a structural model for conditional expected returns. Although the point estimates of the term premiums are consistent with previous conclusions in the literature regarding violations of the LPH, the test statistics are generally insignificant, even when powerful conditioning information is used. These results illustrate the importance of correctly accounting for correlations across maturities and of formally testing the inequality restrictions implied by the LPH.


On the Importance of Measuring Payout Yield: Implications for Empirical Asset Pricing

Published: 03/20/2007   |   DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.2007.01226.x

JACOB BOUDOUKH, RONI MICHAELY, MATTHEW RICHARDSON, MICHAEL R. ROBERTS

We investigate the empirical implications of using various measures of payout yield rather than dividend yield for asset pricing models. We find statistically and economically significant predictability in the time series when payout (dividends plus repurchases) and net payout (dividends plus repurchases minus issuances) yields are used instead of the dividend yield. Similarly, we find that payout (net payout) yields contains information about the cross section of expected stock returns exceeding that of dividend yields, and that the high minus low payout yield portfolio is a priced factor.


Optimal Risk Management Using Options

Published: 05/06/2003   |   DOI: 10.1111/0022-1082.00108

Dong‐Hyun Ahn, Jacob Boudoukh, Matthew Richardson, Robert F. Whitelaw

This article provides an analytical solution to the problem of an institution optimally managing the market risk of a given exposure by minimizing its Value‐at‐Risk using options. The optimal hedge consists of a position in a single option whose strike price is independent of the level of expense the institution is willing to incur for its hedging program. This optimal strike price depends on the distribution of the asset exposure, the horizon of the hedge, and the level of protection desired by the institution. Moreover, the costs associated with a suboptimal choice of exercise price are economically significant.