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A Re-examination of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure: Reconciling the Evidence from Long-Run and Short-Run Tests

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  • Tzavalis, Elias
  • Wickens, Michael

Abstract

This paper explains the contradictory findings from long-run and short-run tests of the rational expectations hypothesis of the term structure. Recent research suggests that, while the long-run tests support the theory, the short-run tests do not. Our results which are based on US Treasury bills rates confirm this and suggest that the conflict in the evidence can be explained by the presence of a stationary, time-varying, term premium. Nevertheless, "news" about future changes in short rates are far more important than the risk premium in explaining interest rate movements at the short end of the term structure, and comprise the main source of the single factor explanation that emerges from our results. Copyright @ 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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  • Tzavalis, Elias & Wickens, Michael, 1998. "A Re-examination of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure: Reconciling the Evidence from Long-Run and Short-Run Tests," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 3(3), pages 229-239, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:ijf:ijfiec:v:3:y:1998:i:3:p:229-39
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    19. Tzavalis, Elias & Wickens, Michael R, 1997. "Explaining the Failures of the Term Spread Models of the Rational Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(3), pages 364-380, August.
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    3. Enzo Weber & Jürgen Wolters, 2013. "Risk and Policy Shocks on the US Term Structure," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 60(1), pages 101-119, February.
    4. Clements, Michael P. & Galvao, Ana Beatriz, 2004. "A comparison of tests of nonlinear cointegration with application to the predictability of US interest rates using the term structure," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 219-236.
    5. Theis Lange, 2009. "First and second order non-linear cointegration models," CREATES Research Papers 2009-04, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    6. Wickens, Michael R., 2014. "How did we get to where we are now? Reflections on 50 years of macroeconomic and financial econometrics," CEPR Discussion Papers 10197, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Panagiotis T. Konstantinou, 2005. "The Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure : A Look at the Polish Interbank Market," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 70-91, May.
    8. Cuthbertson, Keith & Bredin, Don, 2001. "Risk Premia and Long Rates in Ireland," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(6), pages 391-403, September.
    9. Éric Jondeau, 2001. "La théorie des anticipations de la structure par terme permet-elle de rendre compte de l'évolution des taux d'intérêt sur euro-devise ?," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 62, pages 139-174.
    10. Michael Wickens, 2015. "How Did We Get to Where We Are Now? Reflections on 50 Years of Macroeconomic and Financial Econometrics," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 83, pages 60-82, December.
    11. Frédérique Bec & Mélika Ben Salem, 2004. "L'ajustement à seuil des processus cointégrés. Que sait-on des modèles à trois régimes ?," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 114(4), pages 467-488.
    12. Frédérique Bec & Anders Rahbek, 2004. "Vector equilibrium correction models with non-linear discontinuous adjustments," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 7(2), pages 628-651, December.
    13. Jean-michel Sahut, 2010. "A Flexible Non Linear Model to Test the Expectation Hypothesis of Interest Rates," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 30(3), pages 2297-2311.
    14. Tzavalis, Elias, 2004. "The term premium and the puzzles of the expectations hypothesis of the term structure," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 73-93, January.
    15. Konstantinou, Panagiotis, 2004. "Term Structure Dynamics: A Daily View from the Hungarian Foreign Currency Deposits Markets," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 57(3), pages 315-331.
    16. Pawel Milobedzki, 2012. "The Expectations Hypothesis of the Term Structure of LIBOR US Dollar Interest Rates," Dynamic Econometric Models, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 12, pages 5-18.
    17. Clements, Michael P. & Galvão, Ana Beatriz C., 2003. "Testing The Expectations Theory Of The Term Structure Of Interest Rates In Threshold Models," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(4), pages 567-585, September.
    18. Enzo Weber & Jürgen Wolters, 2012. "The US term structure and central bank policy," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 41-45, January.

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