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The Cost Efficiency of UK Debt Management: A Recursive Modelling Approach

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  • M. Hashem Pesaran

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the efficiency of the UK debt management authorities's (DMA) behaviour from a cost minimisation perspective over the period January 1985 to March 1995. During this period, the maturity structure of the government's bond portfolio was subject to frequent finetuning, aimed principally at lowering interest costs. We examine the efficiency of the DMA's behaviour from a cost minimisation perspective. Using a bi-variate version of the recursive modelling procedure applied to forecasting stock returns by Pesaran and Timmermann (1995, 2000), we show that bond returns are forecastable but the predictive power of macroeconomic variables is time dependent. We simulate the impact of adjusting the bond portfolio in response to our forecasts. The simulated average interest costs are lower than those resulting from the DMA's actual real-time behaviour. However, a substantial reduction in interest costs requires large monthly changes in the portfolio's maturity structure.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Hashem Pesaran, 2000. "The Cost Efficiency of UK Debt Management: A Recursive Modelling Approach," CESifo Working Paper Series 346, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_346
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    1. Pesaran, M. Hashem & Timmermann, Allan G., 1994. "A generalization of the non-parametric Henriksson-Merton test of market timing," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 44(1-2), pages 1-7.
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    Cited by:

    1. Silvia Marchesi, 2006. "Buybacks of domestic debt in public debt management," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(5), pages 379-400.
    2. Coe, P. & Vahey S.P. & Wakerly, E.C., 2000. "The Transparency and Accountability of UK Debt Management: A Proposal," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0028, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Government debt management; cost minimisation; recursive modelling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E17 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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