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International diversification and industry-related labor income risk

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  • Fugazza, Carolina
  • Giofré, Maela
  • Nicodano, Giovanna

Abstract

Do equity markets help diversifying away industry-related labor income risk? This paper reconsiders the hedging role of stock markets by focusing on international equity diversification, rather than domestic asset allocation, and on industry wage, rather than individual labor income. We compare industry-based portfolio holdings to the one that is optimal for an investor endowed with the average home-country labor income. Our results resurrect the role of equities in hedging wage risk by uncovering remarkable heterogeneity across industries within each investing country. Our analysis also delivers insights concerning the role of occupational pension funds in designing optimal portfolios for their members.

Suggested Citation

  • Fugazza, Carolina & Giofré, Maela & Nicodano, Giovanna, 2011. "International diversification and industry-related labor income risk," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 764-783, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:20:y:2011:i:4:p:764-783
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    2. Fabio C. Bagliano & Raffaele Corvino & Carolina Fugazza & Giovanna Nicodano, 2018. "Hedging Labor Income Risk over the Life-Cycle," Working papers 058, Department of Economics, Social Studies, Applied Mathematics and Statistics (Dipartimento di Scienze Economico-Sociali e Matematico-Statistiche), University of Torino.
    3. Cong S. Pham & Mary E. Lovely & Devashish Mitra, 2017. "The home-market effect and bilateral trade patterns: A reexamination of the evidence," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Mary E Lovely (ed.), International Economic Integration and Domestic Performance, chapter 8, pages 135-152, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    4. Azra Zaimovic & Adna Omanovic & Almira Arnaut-Berilo, 2021. "How Many Stocks Are Sufficient for Equity Portfolio Diversification? A Review of the Literature," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-30, November.
    5. Esther Eiling, 2013. "Industry-Specific Human Capital, Idiosyncratic Risk, and the Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(1), pages 43-84, February.
    6. Giofré, Maela, 2013. "International diversification: Households versus institutional investors," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 145-176.
    7. Wan-Jiun Paul Chiou & Vigdis W Boasson, 2015. "International Variations in the Benefits of Feasible Diversification Strategies," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1-38, December.
    8. Massimo Guidolin & Stuart Hyde, 2012. "Optimal Portfolios for Occupational Funds under Time-Varying Correlations in Bull and Bear Markets? Assessing the Ex-Post Economic Value," Working Papers 455, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Optimal portfolio choice International diversification Industry-specific human capital risk Occupational pension funds;

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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