This thesis consists of three essays that explore the dynamics of interconnected markets and examine the relationships between markets, investor behavior, and fundamental characteristics of the firm and the economy. In the first essay, we investigate the role of trade credit links in generating cross-border return predictability between international firms. Using data from 43 countries from 1993 to 2009, we find that firms with high trade credit in producer countries have stock returns that are strongly predictable based on the returns of their associated customer countries. This behavior is especially prevalent among firms with high levels of foreign sales. To better understand this effect we develop an asset pricing model in which firms in different countries are connected by trade credit links. The model offers further predictions about this phenomenon, including stronger predictability during periods of high credit constraints and low uninformed trading volume. We find supportive empirical evidence for these predictions. The second essay investigates the dynamics of commodity futures volatility. I derive the variance decomposition for the futures basis to show how unexpected excess returns result from new information about expected future interest rates, convenience yields, and risk premia. Using data on major commodity futures markets and global bilateral commodity trade, I analyze the extent to which commodity volatility is related to fundamental uncertainty arising from increased emerging market demand and macroeconomic uncertainty, and control for the potential impact of financial frictions introduced by changing market structure and index trading. I find that a higher concentration in the emerging market importers of a commodity is associated with higher futures volatility. Commodity futures volatility is significantly predictable using variables capturing macroeconomic uncertainty. The third essay investigates the differential explanatory power of consumer (importing countries) and producer (exporting countries) risk in explaining the volatility of commodity spot premia and term premia using trade-weighted indices of GDP volatility. Using data for major commodity futures markets, bilateral commodity trade, exchange rates, and GDP for countries trading these commodities, I test hypotheses on the heterogeneous impact of consumer and producer shocks, potentially driven by differences in hedging preferences and investment planning horizons. Producer risk is significant for both short-dated and long-dated maturities, while consumer risk has greater explanatory power for the volatility of the term spread.

Value and size related equity investment strategies are supported by a large body of empirical research that shows a persistent premium, both longitudinally and crosssectionally. However, the competing rational and behavioural finance explanations for the success of these strategies are a subject of debate. The rational explanation is that the premium earned on value shares or shares of small companies can be attributed to higher risk. Behaviouralists argue that such shares are not riskier and attribute the premium to cognitive errors and biases in human decision making. The purpose of this study is to determine, firstly, whether the value and size premium exist in South Africa during the period July 2006 to June 2012, which includes one of the worst equity market crises in history. Secondly, this study sets out to determine whether the premium earned on value and size strategies are adequately explained by the principles of rational finance theory. To provide evidence regarding the existence of the value premium and size effect, returns are analysed, cross-sectionally, on portfolios of shares sorted by value and size. For evidence of a rational explanation, returns are regressed on value and size variables, and the relative riskiness of value and small companies is analysed. The results show evidence of a value premium in portfolios of small companies, but not big companies. The size effect is found not to be statistically significant. While regressions do show significant relationships between value and size variables and returns, these variables are found not to be associated with higher levels of risk. The conclusion is that the evidence does not support a rational, risk based explanation of the returns

Submitted by Berger Antoine (antoine.elie.berger@icloud.com) on 2016-10-23T18:33:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Antoine_Berger_THESIS-GV.pdf: 3338904 bytes, checksum: 289cc845dc6c3ae75dfa87d26b3fba4d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br) on 2016-10-24T10:57:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Antoine_Berger_THESIS-GV.pdf: 3338904 bytes, checksum: 289cc845dc6c3ae75dfa87d26b3fba4d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-24T11:06:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antoine_Berger_THESIS-GV.pdf: 3338904 bytes, checksum: 289cc845dc6c3ae75dfa87d26b3fba4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-26 / The Greek crisis happened in a total of three peaks, the last one happening during the Summer 2015. Western European financial sectors as well as financial markets in general in Europe were hardly hit despite the fact that private sectors in Europe widely reduced their exposure to Greece. In this research paper, we aim to test for Overreaction on the FTSE 100, DAX 30, and CAC40. The Overreaction Hypothesis states that overreacting indices display an asymmetric mean and variance. In this optic, we test for ARCH type models on the previously cited markets. / A crise grega aconteceu em um total de três picos, o último a acontecer durante o Verão de 2015. setores financeiros da Europa Ocidental, bem como os mercados financeiros em geral na Europa quase não foram atingidos apesar do fato de que os setores privados na Europa amplamente reduziram a sua exposição à Grécia . Neste trabalho de pesquisa, pretendemos testar a reação exagerada sobre o FTSE 100, DAX 30, e CAC40. A reação exagerada hipótese afirma que os índices de reagirem excessivamente exibir uma média assimétrica e variância. Nesta óptica, testamos para os modelos tipo de arco nos mercados citados anteriormente.

This study aims to see if it is possible to generate abnormal returns in the Swedishstock market through the use of three different trading strategies based on technicalindicators. As the indicators are based on historical price data only, the study assumesweak market efficiency according to the efficient market hypothesis. The study isconducted using daily prices for OMX Stockholm PI and STOXX 600 Europe from theperiod between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. Trading positions has beentaken in the OMX Stockholm PI index while STOXX 600 Europe has been used torepresent the market portfolio. Abnormal returns has been defined as the Jensen’s αin a Fama French three factor model with Carhart ­extension. This period has beencharacterised by increasing prices (a bull market) which may have had an impact onthe results. Furthermore, a higher frequency of rebalancing for the Fama ­French andCarhart model could also increase the quality of the results. The results indicate thatall three strategies has generated abnormal returns during the period. / Denna studie syftar till att se om det är möjligt att generera överavkastning på densvenska aktiemarknaden genom att använda tre olika handelsstrategier baserade påtekniska indikatorer. Eftersom indikatorerna endast baseras på historiska prisdataantar studien svag marknadseffektivitet enligt den effektiva marknadshypotesen.Studien genomförs med hjälp av dagliga priser för OMX Stockholm PI och STOXX 600Europe från perioden 1 januari 2010 till 31 december 2019. Positionerna i studien hartagits i OMX Stockholm PI medan STOXX 600 Europe har använts för att representeramarknadsportföljen . Överavkastning har definierats som Jensens α i en Fama French trefaktormodell med Carhart-­utvidgning. Perioden som används i studien har präglatsav stigande priser (en bull market) som kan ha påverkat resultatet. Dessutom skulleen högre frekvens av ombalansering av Fama ­French och Carhart-­modellen ocksåkunna öka kvaliteten på resultaten. Resultaten visar att alla tre strategier har genereratonormal avkastning under perioden.