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Volatility in International Sovereign Bond Markets: The role of government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

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  • Zaremba, Adam
  • Kizys, Renatas
  • Aharon, David Y.

Abstract

Effective government policies may reduce uncertainty in sovereign bond markets. Can policy responses help to curb bond market volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this, we examine data from 31 developed and emerging markets during the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. We demonstrate that government interventions substantially reduce local sovereign bond volatility. The effect is mainly driven by economic support policies; the containment and closure regulations and health system interventions play no major role.

Suggested Citation

  • Zaremba, Adam & Kizys, Renatas & Aharon, David Y., 2021. "Volatility in International Sovereign Bond Markets: The role of government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:43:y:2021:i:c:s1544612321000921
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2021.102011
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    4. B M, Lithin & chakraborty, Suman & iyer, Vishwanathan & M N, Nikhil & ledwani, Sanket, 2022. "Modeling asymmetric sovereign bond yield volatility with univariate GARCH models: Evidence from India," MPRA Paper 117067, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Jan 2023.
    5. Yousaf, Imran & Jareño, Francisco & Tolentino, Marta, 2023. "Connectedness between Defi assets and equity markets during COVID-19: A sector analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
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    8. Claudiu Tiberiu Albulescu & Eugenia Grecu, 2023. "Government Interventions and Sovereign Bond Market Volatility during COVID-19: A Quantile Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, February.
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    14. Aharon, David Y. & Baig, Ahmed S. & DeLisle, R. Jared, 2022. "The impact of government interventions on cross-listed securities: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
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    20. Bhatia, Madhur, 2023. "On the efficiency of the gold returns: An econometric exploration for India, USA and Brazil," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    21. Sanjay Kumar Rout & Hrushikesh Mallick, 2022. "Sovereign Bond Market Shock Spillover Over Different Maturities: A Journey from Normal to Covid-19 Period," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 29(4), pages 697-734, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19 pandemic; Coronavirus outbreak; Government policy responses; Containment and closure; Economic support; Sovereign bonds; Government bond market volatility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H12 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Crisis Management
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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