M.Com. (Financial Economics) / The use of the yield curve spread in forecasting future recessions has become popular as it is a simple tool to use, due to the positive relationship between the yield curve spread and economic activity. The inversion or flattening of the yield curve spread usually signals a future recession. This has been the subject of several studies both internationally and in South Africa. This research provides an analysis of the yield curve spread’s ability to accurately forecast future recessions in South Africa through the use of three probit models. Furthermore, the yield curve spread’s ability to estimate is compared to that of share prices, using the JSE All Share Index. This research extends on studies by Khomo and Aziakpono (2006) and Clay and Keeton (2011), who used the static and dynamic probit models to forecast recessions in South Africa. In addition to these models, this research also makes use of the business cycle conditionally independent probit model for estimation. The findings suggest that share prices improve the yield curve spread’s ability to forecast recessions when estimating using the static probit model; however when comparing the results between the financial variables, the yield curve spread continues to produce the best forecast of recessions in South Africa. These results support those of Khomo and Aziakpono (2006) and Clay and Keeton (2011). Of the three probit models, the dynamic probit model estimate using the yield curve spread produced the most accurate forecast of recessions one quarter ahead. Therefore, the yield curve spread continues to provide the most accurate forecast of recessions in South Africa.

Para que um operador de uma mesa proprietária de um banco consiga fornecer um preço competitivo e de forma a auferir lucro em uma operação é fundamental uma estimação adequada da estrutura a termo da taxa de juros. Afinal, cada uma dessas demandas e ofertas por liquidez exigem diferentes prazos e na grande maioria das vezes instrumentos utilizados para realizar a imunização de acordo com o prazo dessa operação não estão disponíveis para negociação no mercado financeiro. A construção de uma estrutura a termo de juros é uma forma de sintetizar em uma única curva toda a informação disponível de contratos negociáveis no mercado financeiro e que reproduzam o preço mais justo para a taxa de juros de um determinado prazo. O objetivo do presente trabalho é implementar a estimação da estrutura a termo da taxa de juros brasileira utilizando-se do método de taxas a termo constantes entre as reuniões do Comitê de Política Monetária (Copom). O algoritmo implementado deve ser capaz de resolver a estimação num tempo suficientemente rápido para que seja possível agregá-lo em um sistema de cotações de mercado em tempo real e fornecer aos operadores de mercado informações completas da curva de juros com as taxas zero cupom e as taxas a termo para cada prazo. Nesta dissertação serão apresentados detalhes da implementação do algoritmo e também do arcabouço teórico utilizado. Será apresentando também uma breve descrição da dinâmica do mercado de juros brasileiro e suas peculiaridades, além de apresentar alguns métodos de estimação da estrutura a termo comumente utilizados. / For an operator of a bank to be able to provide a competitive price and to make a profit in an operation, an adequate estimation of the term structure of the interest rate is essential. After all, each of these demands and offers for liquidity require different terms and in most cases the instruments used to carry out the immunization according to the term of this operation are not available for trading in the financial market. The construction of an interest rate term structure is a way of synthesizing in a single curve all the available information of contracts negotiable in the financial market and that best reproduces the fairer price for the interest rate of a certain term. The main purpose of this work is implement the estimation of the Brazilian term structure of interest rate using the flat forward rate method between Copom meetings. The implemented algorithm must be able to resolve the estimation in a sufficiently fast time so that it can be aggregated into a real-time market quotations system and provide to market operators information on the yield curve and forward rates. This dissertation will present the algorithm implementation in detais as well as the theoretical framework used. It will also present a brief description of the dynamics of the Brazilian interest market and its peculiarities, besides presenting some methods of estimation of the term structure commonly used.

Este trabalho analisa e modela a Estrutura a Termo das Taxas de Juros objetivando ao teste da Hipótese das Expectativas(HE) na ponta curta da curva de juros e a uma aplicação da teoria de Markowitz (1952) no mercado de renda fixa utilizando a estrutura proposta por Caldeira, Moura e Santos (2015). Para estes fins foram utilizados dados dos contratos futuros de 1 dia dos depósito interbancários (DI1) negociados na BMF interpolados em maturidades fixas, sendo utilizados em base semanal quando do teste da HE e em base diária para a construção dos portfólios de mínima variância. Os resultados encontrados para o teste da HE sugerem a invalidade da teoria, uma vez que o prêmio de risco é se mostra ajustável a um modelo GARCH-M e, portanto, variante no tempo. Os portfólios de mínima variância ajustados nas versões irrestrita e restrita (duration máxima de 1 ano) se mostraram consistentes, tendo superado quase a totalidade dos fundos analisados. O portfólio de mínima variância irrestrito obteve o maior Índice de Sharpe no período analisado. / This work analyzes and model the Term Structure of Interest Rates seeking testing Expectation Hypothesis in the short end of the Yield Curve and to apply the portfolio theory to the fixed income context using the framework proposed by Caldeira, Moura e Santos (2015). We used a database of constant maturities interbank deposits’s future contracts. The results suggest Expectation Hypothesis doesn’t hold and risk premium could be modeled by a GARCH-M framework, being time variant. The bond portfolio optimized were, in general, consistent with high sharpe ratio relative to other funds and beated the chosen benchmark during the period analyzed.

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-08-15T19:22:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Roberto Batista de Jesus.pdf: 1381592 bytes, checksum: 08645a8e3bf8c854fdfb859723adc8ab (MD5) / Rejected by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br), reason: Bom dia, Joana! Solicito que verifique a ficha catalográfica, pois está com várias fontes. Atenciosamente, Catarina on 2017-09-18T13:47:54Z (GMT) / Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-09-19T14:02:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Roberto Batista de Jesus.pdf: 1383696 bytes, checksum: 8eff466f7c2895a30844efd6196ef7ec (MD5) / Rejected by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br), reason: Bom dia, Joana! Favor acertar o arquivo, pois o título do trabalho na folha de aprovação está diferente das demais partes do trabalho. Atenciosamente, Catarina on 2017-09-20T12:31:40Z (GMT) / Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-09-21T14:25:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Roberto Batista de Jesus.pdf: 1376400 bytes, checksum: 9b8a3f6e094ecdced9810254cb3fc728 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-09-22T13:23:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Roberto Batista de Jesus.pdf: 1376400 bytes, checksum: 9b8a3f6e094ecdced9810254cb3fc728 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-22T13:23:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Roberto Batista de Jesus.pdf: 1376400 bytes, checksum: 9b8a3f6e094ecdced9810254cb3fc728 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-23 / Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a efetividade da duration como hedge de uma carteira de títulos públicos que pagam cupons periódicos (NTN-F), no segundo semestre de 2011, e segundo trimestre de 2013, períodos marcados por elevada volatilidade e movimentos não paralelos na estrutura a termo de taxa de juros. A metodologia proposta consiste na realização do hedge utilizando contratos futuros de taxas de juros na Bolsa de Mercadorias e Futuros (BM&F). O resultado da carteira é comparado ao resultado da operação de hedge. Constata-se a inadequação da duration para hedge, nesse novo cenário. Ao longo do trabalho, apresenta-se a mudança qualitativa na composição da dívida pública brasileira, bem como a evolução da teoria sobre hedge de portfólio de renda fixa / This research aims to assess the effectiveness of the use of the duration as hedge to a portfolio of sovereign bonds which pay periodic coupons (NTN-F), on the second half of 2011, and second quarter of 2013, periods that were marked by high volatility and non parallel movements on the interest rate term structure. The proposed methodology consists on effecting the hedge using interest rate future contracts on the Futures and Commodities Exchange - Bolsa de Mercadorias e Futuros (BM&F). The result of portfolio is compared to the result of hedge. This assessment shows the inadequacy on the use of the duration as hedge under this new scenario. Along this work, it's presented a qualitative change on the public Brazilian debt's composition, as well as the evolution of the hedge theory for fixed income portfolios.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é a construção de um modelo integrado para previsão da estrutura a termo da taxa de juros, referentes a títulos corporativos americanos para diferentes níveis de risco. A metodologia é baseada no modelo de Nelson e Siegel (1987), com extensões propostas por Diebold e Li (2006) e Diebold, Li e Yue (2008). Modelamos a estrutura a termo para 14 níveis de risco e estimamos conjuntamente os fatores latentes de nível e inclinação que governam a dinâmica das taxas, para a posterior estimação de dois super fatores, que por sua vez, conduzem a trajetória de cada fator, onde está centrada a nossa principal inovação. A previsão da curva de juros é então construída a partir da previsão dos super fatores, modelados por processos auto-regressivos, como sugere Diebold e Li (2006). Através dos super fatores extrapolados da amostra reconstruímos, na forma da previsão, os fatores latentes e a própria taxa de juros. Além da previsão fora da amostra, comparamos a eficiência do modelo proposto com o modelo mais tradicional da literatura, o passeio aleatório. Pela comparação, não obtivemos ganhos significativos em relação a esse competidor, principalmente na previsão um passo a frente. Resultados melhores foram obtidos aumentando o horizonte de previsão, mas não sendo capaz de superar o passeio aleatório. / [en] This dissertation constructs an integrated model for interest rate term structure forecast for American corporate bonds associated with different risk levels. Our methodology is primarily based on Nelson and Siegel (1987) and presents extensions proposed in Diebold and Li (2006) and Diebold, Li and Yue (2008). We model the term structure for 14 risk levels and we jointly estimate the level and slope latent factors that drive interest rates dynamics. These factors are then used in the estimation of two super factors which is our main innovation. The yield curve forecast is then determinate from the forecast of the super factors, described by autoregressive processes, as suggested by Diebold and Li (2006). Through the super factors forecast, reconstructed in the form of forecasting the latent factors and their own interest rate. Our results focus on the model’s out of sample forecast and efficiency compared with the random walk model, considered the benchmark model in this type of literature. Our results provide evidence that the proposed models shows no significant gains in relation to the benchmark, especially in predicting one month ahead. Better results were obtained by increasing the forecast horizon, but not being able to overcome the random walk.

This dissertation treats two different themes. The first, addressed in Chapter 1, regards the pricing of interest rate swaps. The second, studied in the remaining two chapters, regards the implications of monetary policy for the term structure of interest rates.The pricing of interest rate swaps An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange fix for floating interest rate payments for a certain period of time. Floating rate payments are made at a floating-rate index, e.g. the three-month interbank rate, while the fixed rate payment, the swap rate, is determined on the market. The swap rate may include a compensation for credit risk depending on the counterparty's credit quality, but in the standard agreement there is no exchange of principal, only interest is transacted, and this effectively reduces concerns about credit risk. The swap spread for a given maturity is the difference between the swap rate and the risk-free rate, measured as the yield on a government bond with similar cash flows. If the standard swap agreement entails negligible credit risk one might expect swap spreads to be low and stable, but market swap spreads vary over time. There are periods when swap spreads are low in accordance with the general theory, but there are also periods when swap spreads reach levels that seem high.The first chapter of this dissertation examines a setting where a positive swap spread arises as part of an equilibrium in a perfectly competitive capital market. The model is one of insurance under adverse selection. A firm that seeks debt financing can insure itself against interest rate risk either by borrowing long-term or by borrowing short-term and entering a pay fix - receive float interest rate swap. The latter alternative allows for a partial hedge as the firm can choose to swap only a fraction of the nominal amount. In this setting, if firms' credit quality and interest rate risk tolerance are correlated creditors can use the pricing of interest rate swaps as a screening device. A low-risk firm, being a firm with favorable private information, selects short-term borrowing and partial insurance. A high-risk firm, being a firm with less favorable prospects, is by assumption also less risk tolerant. It therefore has a higher demand for insurance and the equilibrium swap spread is set such that the high-risk firm finds it more beneficial to borrow long-term at a cost that exceeds the expected cost from short-term financing, but that provides a full insurance to interest rate risk. Monetary policy and the term structure of interest rates Taken separately monetary policy and term structure modeling are two well-established research areas each comprising a substantial amount of research. But relatively few attempts have been made to integrate the two. The last two chapters of this dissertation take the view that the conduct of monetary policy is an essential element in the determination of the term structure of interest rates, and that explicitly considering the role of amonetary authority in the analysis has a potential of enhancing our understanding of term structure dynamics, and its relation to macro-economic fundamentals in particular. This approach to the term structure is supported by the fact that the analytical framework developed in the literature on optimal monetary policy translates conveniently into a setting well suited for term structure analysis. Chapter 2 makes the point in the simplest setting. A standard model of optimal monetary policy is reformulated in continuous time. Combined with a parameterized form for the market price of risk this produces a standard term structure model with well-known characteristics. This model is estimated on US data for the period 1987 - 2002, treating state variables as latent factors of the term structure. The parameters that are estimated comprise parameters describing the monetary transmission mechanism, parameters describing the monetary authority's preferences and parameters describing the market price of risk. Our estimation technique differs from comparable estimations in the monetary policy literature as these typically take state variables to be directly observable measures of macro-economic aggregates. The results using term structure data are both similar and different to previous findings. The main difference when using term structure data is that the central bank's estimated policy is more aggressive, i.e. more responsive to changes in the underlying state variables.Chapter 3 is devoted to the zero bound on nominal interest rates. While the zero bound is well recognized in the literature on term structure modeling, not much has been said about term structure dynamics under the special circumstance that the short rate is close to zero. I find the optimal monetary policy approach to be particularly well suited for this analysis. The chapter studies a continuous time reduced form version of the monetary transmission mechanism. The monetary authority's optimization problem is formed according to two specifications, interest rate stabilization and interest rate smoothing. For the former the optimization problem is solved analytically, while numerical procedures are adopted forthe latter. The chapter then turns to study implications for the term structure under risk-neutrality. Term structure equations are solved numerically and implications for the term structure are discussed. Data for a low-interest rate country like Japan for 1996 - 2003 exhibits s-shaped yield curves and yield volatility curves. This shape is found to be consistent with a smoothing objective for the short rate. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2004</p>

In many regions of the world, the solvency regulation of insurers is becoming more principle-based and market oriented. However, the exact forms of the solvency standards that are emerging in individual jurisdictions are not entirely consistent. A common risk and capital framework can level the global playing field and possibly reduce the cost of capital for insurers. In the thesis, a conceptual framework for measuring the insolvency risk of life insurance companies will be proposed. The two main advantages of the proposed solvency framework are that it addresses the issue of incentives in the calibration of the capital requirements and it also provides an associated decomposition of the insurer's insolvency risk by term. The proposed term structure of insolvency risk is an efficient risk summary that should be readily accessible to both regulators and policyholders. Given the inherent complexity of the long-term guarantees and options of typical life insurance policies, the term structure of insolvency risk is able to provide stakeholders with more complete information than that provided by a single number that relates to a specific period. The capital standards for life insurers that are currently existing or have been proposed in Canada, U.S., and in the EU are then reviewed within the risk and capital measurement framework of the proposed standard to identify potential shortcomings.

In many regions of the world, the solvency regulation of insurers is becoming more principle-based and market oriented. However, the exact forms of the solvency standards that are emerging in individual jurisdictions are not entirely consistent. A common risk and capital framework can level the global playing field and possibly reduce the cost of capital for insurers. In the thesis, a conceptual framework for measuring the insolvency risk of life insurance companies will be proposed. The two main advantages of the proposed solvency framework are that it addresses the issue of incentives in the calibration of the capital requirements and it also provides an associated decomposition of the insurer's insolvency risk by term. The proposed term structure of insolvency risk is an efficient risk summary that should be readily accessible to both regulators and policyholders. Given the inherent complexity of the long-term guarantees and options of typical life insurance policies, the term structure of insolvency risk is able to provide stakeholders with more complete information than that provided by a single number that relates to a specific period. The capital standards for life insurers that are currently existing or have been proposed in Canada, U.S., and in the EU are then reviewed within the risk and capital measurement framework of the proposed standard to identify potential shortcomings.

During the last decade several Japanese life insurance companies failed mainly due to interest losses. In fact, interest rate risk dominates mortality risk for a portfolio of business in force. When the interest rates are modelled as random variables, the yields on bonds are the sum of expected short spot rates and a risk premium for random bond prices. However, in our study, we assume a risk-neutral environment, i.e. zero risk premiums. As tools to deal with stochastic interest rates, various interest rate term structure models are considered. The Vasicek model, the Heath-Jarrow-Morton (hereafter “HJM”) approach and Cairns’ model are explained in detail. The history and nature of the very low interest rate environment in Japan is described in line with the monetary policy framework of the central bank. An unusual interest rate movement in the very low interest rate environment is identified. A modified HJM approach and Cairns’ model are chosen in our study. Cairns’ model is used to graduate the initial yield curve. The HJM approach with a specific volatility function and modified to deal with very low interest rates is used for simulating subsequent developments of the initial yield curve. After the introduction of various concepts needed to investigate a life insurance policy portfolio, we prepare for simulation by collecting information and by fitting parameters to market observations. The Yen swap curve is chosen as a base yield curve. The simulation results show how much initial capital and/or margins are needed in order to avoid the ruin of a portfolio.

[pt] No Brasil e no mundo, grande parte das carteiras de investimento das seguradoras e entidades de previdência complementar é composta por títulos emitidos por governos. Sendo assim, os retornos destes papéis respondem por parte relevante da rentabilidade destas carteiras. Este trabalho tem como finalidade a análise do impacto da incorporação de informações econômicas (taxa de juros, hiato do produto e taxa de inflação) na previsão da Estrutura a Termo de Taxa de Juros de quatro países: EUA, Reino Unido, Brasil e Chile. Diferentes modelos de vetores auto-regressivos (VAR) são testados e comparados com outros modelos, como passeio aleatório e modelos auto-regressivos (AR), em termos de performance de previsão out-of-sample. / [en] In Brazil and the world, much of the investment portfolios of insurers and complementary pension funds consists of securities issued by governments. Thus, the returns of these papers account for the relevant part of the profitability of these portfolios. This work aims at analyzing the impact of the incorporation of economic data (interest rate, output gap and inflation rate) in the forecast of the Term Structure of Interest Rates in four countries: USA, UK, Brazil and Chile. Different models of vector autoregression (VAR) are tested and compared with other models such as random walk and autoregressive models (AR), in terms of performance of out-of-sample forecasts.