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Diversification in euro area stock markets: country versus industry

Author

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  • Moerman, Gerard

Abstract

The harmonisation of fiscal and economic policy within the European Monetary Union (EMU) has had a considerable impact on the economies of member countries in the past decade. In particular, several studies indicate that the proceeding economic integration among euro area countries has important consequences for the factors driving asset returns in financial markets. This study concentrates on the implications of the changing structure of security returns for asset management. Using recent euro area stock markets data, we find clear evidence that diversification over industries yields more efficient portfolios than diversification over countries. We show that this result is robust with respect to the information technology-hype and different volatility regimes. This contrasts with e.g. Rouwenhorst (1999), who finds, based on a different methodology and a different sample period, that country diversification strategies are superior. We regard this paper as a robustness check challenging the existing strand of literature and show that Rouwenhorst's (1999) conclusions seem to be outdated. JEL Classification: G11, G15

Suggested Citation

  • Moerman, Gerard, 2004. "Diversification in euro area stock markets: country versus industry," Working Paper Series 327, European Central Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:2004327
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    File URL: https://www.ecb.europa.eu//pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp327.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Philip R. Lane & Sébastien Wälti, 2007. "The Euro and Financial Integration," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: David Cobham (ed.), The Travails of the Eurozone, chapter 9, pages 208-232, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Moerman, G.A. & Mahieu, R.J. & Koedijk, C.G., 2004. "Financial Integration Through Benchmarks: The European Banking Sector," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2004-110-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    3. Pieterse-Bloem, M., 2011. "The effect of Emu on bond market integration and investor portfolio allocations," Other publications TiSEM 3c6ce80d-9260-424a-b889-b, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Goddard, John & Molyneux, Philip & Wilson, John O.S. & Tavakoli, Manouche, 2007. "European banking: An overview," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1911-1935, July.
    5. Jean-Pierre Berdot & Daniel Goyeau & Jacques Léonard, 2005. "Les fondements de la rotation sectorielle des portefeuilles," Revue d'Économie Financière, Programme National Persée, vol. 78(1), pages 345-362.
    6. Moerman, Gerard A., 2008. "Diversification in euro area stock markets: Country versus industry," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 1122-1134, November.
    7. Joliet, Robert & Hubner, Georges, 2008. "Corporate international diversification and the cost of equity: European evidence," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 102-123, February.
    8. Moerman, G.A., 2005. "How Domestic is the Fama and French Three-Factor Model? An Application to the Euro Area," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2005-035-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    country; EMU; euro area stock markets; industry factors; portfolio diversification;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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