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International bond diversification strategies: the impact of currency, country, and credit risk

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  • Mats Hansson
  • Eva Liljeblom
  • Anders Loflund

Abstract

We investigate the incremental role of emerging market debt and corporate bonds in internationally diversified government bond portfolios. Contrary to earlier results, we find that international diversification among government bonds does not yield significant diversification benefits. This result is obtained using mean-variance spanning and intersection tests, with restrictions for short sales, both for currency unhedged and hedged internationally developed market government bonds. Currency hedged international corporate bonds in turn do offer some diversification benefits, and emerging market debt, in particular, significantly shifts the mean-variance frontier for a developed market investor. Since especially unconstrained mean-variance spanning and intersection tests can indicate significant diversification benefits, but lead to frontier portfolios with extreme weights, we also consider some ex-ante global government bond portfolio strategies. We find that passive global benchmarks such as GDP-weighed government bond portfolios perform quite well within developed countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Mats Hansson & Eva Liljeblom & Anders Loflund, 2009. "International bond diversification strategies: the impact of currency, country, and credit risk," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(5-6), pages 555-583.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eurjfi:v:15:y:2009:i:5-6:p:555-583
    DOI: 10.1080/13518470902872376
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Richard M. Levich & Lee R. Thomas, 1993. "Internationally Diversified Bond Portfolios: The Merits of Active Currency Risk Management," NBER Working Papers 4340, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. John D. Burger & Francis E. Warnock, 2003. "Diversification, original sin, and international bond portfolios," International Finance Discussion Papers 755, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Hans Dewachter & Konstantijn Maes, 2001. "An Affine Model for International Bond Markets," International Economics Working Papers Series ces0106, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centrum voor Economische Studiën, International Economics.
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    6. Jae Young Jang & Erdal Atukeren, 2019. "Sustainable Local Currency Debt: An Analysis of Foreigners’ Korea Treasury Bonds Investments Using a LA-VARX Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-23, June.

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