Bachelor-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2006.

This paper examines how cultural values influence risk premium across the world. Cultural values are measured by four cultural indexes, power distance, uncertainty avoidance index, masculinity index, and individualism index, established by Geert Hofstede. Our methodology determines the risk premium by using the Dividend Discount Model, and then computes the regression analysis of each index's impact on average risk premiums. After analyzing 31 countries, results show the only statistically significant correlation found was between the individualism index and risk premium. The higher the individualistic nature of the culture was the higher the risk premium. This is attributed to the overconfidence and self-attribution biases found in investors with high individualism index.

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The impact of rare disasters on equity premium and term premium in a New Keynesian DSGE model is explored in the thesis. Andreasen's (2012) model with Epstein-Zin preferences, bonds and a rare disaster shock in total factor productivity process is extended by a variable capital stock and an equity-type asset. We find that the variable capital significantly changes behavior of the model, capital depreciation must be substantially increased to counter the effect of variable capital and stochastic mean of inflation increases. The model calibrated to the US economy and a high risk aversion generates 10-year term premium of 90 basis points, rare disasters increase the premium only by 3 basis points. The equity premium is 163 basis points and rare disasters increase it also only by 3 basis points. The model with a low coefficient of relative risk aversion of 5.5 generates negative risk premia. Rare disasters increase the risk premia by mere 4 basis points in comparison to a model with i.i.d. shocks. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Investors accept that there is uncertainty, or risk, associated with equity investment returns. Consequently, equities are normally priced so that they provide a premium to the returns available on risk-free investments. Equity returns, however, are cyclical. There can be long periods when equity returns greatly exceed risk-free returns; there can be long periods when the premium disappears altogether. This thesis explores the influences and driving forces in equity markets, with a particular emphasis on the UK equity market. Both rational and irrational influences are examined and discussed. A General Literature Review examines the general progression in academic thinking in the area of equity pricing over four decades and takes a close look at the concepts of market efficiency and the challenges mounted by behavioural finance. The “equity risk premium puzzle” is also examined. Chapters 3 to 6 contain empirical studies of the variation in UK equity returns over time from four angles. The chapters look, respectively, at: macro-economic influences on the equity market; the relationship between equity returns and market volatility; the impact of variation in risk-free returns; a full decomposition of both ex-ante and ex-post equity returns. Reassuringly, the results confirm that the UK equity market is driven, in the main, by economic factors. However, the results also indicate that the full set of influences on the equity market is complex. The analyses undertaken suggest that significant swings occur in the risk premium element of expected equity returns. The results also suggest that there are periods when the UK equity market may be in disequilibrium with other financial markets. It is not the contention that many of the puzzles that have confronted equity market researchers over recent decades are now resolved by the analyses undertaken and presented in this thesis. It is to be hoped, however, that a useful platform has been built from which further investigation and analysis can be taken forward. In particular, it is suggested that comprehensive surveys of long-term expectations could lead to a better understanding of equity market mechanisms.

<p>The efficacy and accuracy of information is very important for making decision in stock markets. In this paper, we study on the effect of information diffusion in Chinese stock market before and after the owership release in February 19, 2001, by testing the stationary of A share premium and cointegration between A and B share prices. The panel unit root tests we propose on A share premium are Augmented Dickey-Fullar (ADF) tests for individual firm and Fisher tests for the panel, based on combining pvalues from each individual cross-section. The panel cointegration tests on A and B shares we use is Johansen’s likelihood ratio tests for individual firm and likelihoodbased panel cointegraion tests for panel, based on combining the test statistics. The results show that before the opening of B share markets to domestic investors, A share premiums have a unit root and there is no cointegration relationship between A and B share markets. On the contrary, after ownership release, A share premium is stationary and there is cointegration relationship between A and B share markets.</p>

The efficacy and accuracy of information is very important for making decision in stock markets. In this paper, we study on the effect of information diffusion in Chinese stock market before and after the owership release in February 19, 2001, by testing the stationary of A share premium and cointegration between A and B share prices. The panel unit root tests we propose on A share premium are Augmented Dickey-Fullar (ADF) tests for individual firm and Fisher tests for the panel, based on combining pvalues from each individual cross-section. The panel cointegration tests on A and B shares we use is Johansen’s likelihood ratio tests for individual firm and likelihoodbased panel cointegraion tests for panel, based on combining the test statistics. The results show that before the opening of B share markets to domestic investors, A share premiums have a unit root and there is no cointegration relationship between A and B share markets. On the contrary, after ownership release, A share premium is stationary and there is cointegration relationship between A and B share markets.

Since equity premium puzzle had long been a problem, many economists tried to give reasonable interpretations to the puzzle. I focus on the type of theories using bounded rationality as the answer to the problem. I am willing to find out that whether the puzzle still exists in recent decades. If it does exist, are the theories of bounded rationality still able to explain the puzzle? In the beginning, I introduce two theories referring to bounded rationality. Afterwards, I empirically analyze the data of the U.S., Japan and Euro-area by using a simpler model based on rationality. Interestingly, circumstances vary a lot from country to country. One theory may be suitable for one country but not for the others. Even so, the “suitable” theory fails to completely explain the whole tendency of variation during the observed period in the country. In the future, we still need to explore in depth of the puzzle.

This paper examines the wage premium to computer use in Sweden in the early 1990’s. I use simple regression model and interaction terms in my paper to examine the effect of computer use at work. Although the data is only one-year cross-section data, my results clearly show a wage premium to computer use in Sweden. There are also interesting findings in my paper by using Swedish data. From the results, I find wage premium to be related to intensity of computer use at work.

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