Idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns: Evidence from the MILA

Abstract

This paper examines the association between idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns in the MILA from 2001 to 2014. Based on portfolio strategies that rely on one- or two-way sorts, we find that idiosyncratic risk is not a predictor of returns in the whole period or during high or low volatility months in the integrated market. We confirm the lack of an idiosyncratic volatility effect in a multivariate setting conducting errors-in-variables-free panel regressions. Overall, unsystematic risk is not a priced factor in the MILA, in line with predictions of several pricing models and recent literature in the U.S. market.