IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v83y2022ics1057521922002502.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The information content of CDS implied volatility and associated trading strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Shi, Yukun
  • Chen, Ding
  • Guo, Biao
  • Xu, Yaofei
  • Yan, Cheng

Abstract

Using the theoretical link between put options and credit default swaps (CDS) in a very general setting, we develop a robust measure of CDS implied volatility (CIV) that captures the information content of CDS markets. Specifically, we use the unit recovery claim to bridge CDS and deep out-of-the-money put options of the same firm and then back out CIV via the binomial tree. Our CIV measure strongly co-moves with the option implied volatility (OIV), with a correlation coefficient of 0.8. Based on the standardized difference between CIV and OIV, we construct CDS and option trading strategies. Without taking transaction costs into account, the long–short CDS trading strategy achieves an annualized return of 58.29% and a Sharpe ratio of 2.97, which cannot be explained by non-parametric skewness and volatility risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Shi, Yukun & Chen, Ding & Guo, Biao & Xu, Yaofei & Yan, Cheng, 2022. "The information content of CDS implied volatility and associated trading strategies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:83:y:2022:i:c:s1057521922002502
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102295
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521922002502
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102295?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Y. Campbell & Jens Hilscher & Jan Szilagyi, 2008. "In Search of Distress Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(6), pages 2899-2939, December.
    2. Cao, Charles & Yu, Fan & Zhong, Zhaodong, 2010. "The information content of option-implied volatility for credit default swap valuation," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 321-343, August.
    3. Yan, Shu, 2011. "Jump risk, stock returns, and slope of implied volatility smile," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 216-233, January.
    4. Bali, Turan G. & Zhou, Hao, 2016. "Risk, Uncertainty, and Expected Returns," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(3), pages 707-735, June.
    5. Lee, Jongsub & Naranjo, Andy & Velioglu, Guner, 2018. "When do CDS spreads lead? Rating events, private entities, and firm-specific information flows," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 556-578.
    6. Merton, Robert C, 1974. "On the Pricing of Corporate Debt: The Risk Structure of Interest Rates," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 29(2), pages 449-470, May.
    7. Goyal, Amit & Saretto, Alessio, 2009. "Cross-section of option returns and volatility," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 310-326, November.
    8. Merton, Robert C., 1976. "Option pricing when underlying stock returns are discontinuous," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(1-2), pages 125-144.
    9. Nils Friewald & Christian Wagner & Josef Zechner, 2014. "The Cross-Section of Credit Risk Premia and Equity Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(6), pages 2419-2469, December.
    10. Peter Carr & Liuren Wu, 2011. "A Simple Robust Link Between American Puts and Credit Protection," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(2), pages 473-505.
    11. Biao Guo, 2016. "CDS Inferred Stock Volatility," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(8), pages 745-757, August.
    12. Heston, Steven L, 1993. "A Closed-Form Solution for Options with Stochastic Volatility with Applications to Bond and Currency Options," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 6(2), pages 327-343.
    13. R. J. Elliott & M. Jeanblanc & M. Yor, 2000. "On Models of Default Risk," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(2), pages 179-195, April.
    14. Ronald Balvers & Yangru Wu & Erik Gilliland, 2000. "Mean Reversion across National Stock Markets and Parametric Contrarian Investment Strategies," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 745-772, April.
    15. Peter Carr & Vadim Linetsky, 2006. "A jump to default extended CEV model: an application of Bessel processes," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 303-330, September.
    16. Martijn Cremers & Michael Halling & David Weinbaum, 2015. "Aggregate Jump and Volatility Risk in the Cross-Section of Stock Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(2), pages 577-614, April.
    17. Sreedhar T. Bharath & Tyler Shumway, 2008. "Forecasting Default with the Merton Distance to Default Model," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 21(3), pages 1339-1369, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Murphy, Austin & Headley, Adrian, 2022. "An empirical evaluation of alternative fundamental models of credit spreads," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Jie Cao & Amit Goyal & Xiao Xiao & Xintong Zhan, 2023. "Implied Volatility Changes and Corporate Bond Returns," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(3), pages 1375-1397, March.
    3. Ye, Xiaoxia & Yu, Fan & Zhao, Ran, 2022. "Credit derivatives and corporate default prediction," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Andreou, Christoforos K. & Andreou, Panayiotis C. & Lambertides, Neophytos, 2021. "Financial distress risk and stock price crashes," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    5. Ka Kei Chan & Ming‐Tsung Lin & Qinye Lu, 2024. "Corporate credit default swap systematic factors," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(7), pages 1224-1256, July.
    6. Assaf Eisdorfer & Efdal Ulas Misirli, 2020. "Distressed Stocks in Distressed Times," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(6), pages 2452-2473, June.
    7. Avino, Davide & Lazar, Emese & Varotto, Simone, 2013. "Price discovery of credit spreads in tranquil and crisis periods," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 242-253.
    8. Paul Schneider & Christian Wagner & Josef Zechner, 2020. "Low‐Risk Anomalies?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(5), pages 2673-2718, October.
    9. Skočir, Matevž & Lončarski, Igor, 2018. "Multi-factor asset pricing models: Factor construction choices and the revisit of pricing factors," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 65-80.
    10. Biao Guo & Hai Lin, 2020. "Volatility and jump risk in option returns," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(11), pages 1767-1792, November.
    11. Augustin, Patrick & Subrahmanyam, Marti G. & Tang, Dragon Yongjun & Wang, Sarah Qian, 2014. "Credit Default Swaps: A Survey," Foundations and Trends(R) in Finance, now publishers, vol. 9(1-2), pages 1-196, December.
    12. Chen, Chin-Ho, 2019. "Downside jump risk and the levels of futures-cash basis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    13. Silva, Felipe Bastos Gurgel, 2021. "Fiscal Deficits, Bank Credit Risk, and Loan-Loss Provisions," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(5), pages 1537-1589, August.
    14. Kevin Aretz & Chris Florackis & Alexandros Kostakis, 2018. "Do Stock Returns Really Decrease with Default Risk? New International Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(8), pages 3821-3842, August.
    15. Mu-Shu Yun & Ko-Chia Yu, 2024. "Vertical propagation of default risk along the supply chain," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 63-85, July.
    16. Maria Correia & Johnny Kang & Scott Richardson, 2018. "Asset volatility," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 37-94, March.
    17. Forte, Santiago & Lovreta, Lidija, 2023. "Credit default swaps, the leverage effect, and cross-sectional predictability of equity and firm asset volatility," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    18. van Zundert, Jeroen & Driessen, Joost, 2022. "Stocks versus corporate bonds: A cross-sectional puzzle," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    19. Jens Hilscher & Mungo Wilson, 2017. "Credit Ratings and Credit Risk: Is One Measure Enough?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(10), pages 3414-3437, October.
    20. Tahir Choulli & Catherine Daveloose & Michèle Vanmaele, 2020. "A martingale representation theorem and valuation of defaultable securities," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1527-1564, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    CDS; Implied volatility; Default probability; Unit recovery claim; Trading strategies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:83:y:2022:i:c:s1057521922002502. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620166 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.