Returns, volatility and the cryptocurrency bubble of 2017–18

C-Tier
Journal: Economic Modeling
Year: 2021
Volume: 104
Issue: C

Authors (3)

Cross, Jamie L. (University of Melbourne) Hou, Chenghan (not in RePEc) Trinh, Kelly (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.336 = (α=2.02 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Research on cryptocurrencies has focused on price and volatility formation in isolation, however knowledge about their interdependence is important for risk management and asset allocation. We investigate the existence and nature of such a relationship in four commonly traded cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple, during the cryptocurrency bubble of 2017–18. Using a generalized asset pricing model, we find evidence of a risk premium effect in Litecoin and Ripple during the boom of 2017, and that adverse news effects were an important driver of the cryptocurrency crash of 2018 in all four cryptocurrencies. In an out-of-sample forecasting exercise, we find that allowing for stochastic volatility and a heavy tailed distribution provides more accurate return and volatility forecasts compared to a random walk benchmark. This suggests that cryptocurrency markets were not weak-form efficient during this period.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecmode:v:104:y:2021:i:c:s0264999321002327
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25