Nonparametric tail risk, stock returns, and the macroeconomy

Abstract

This paper introduces a new tail-risk measure based on the risk-neutral excess expected shortfall of a cross-section of stock returns. We propose a novel way to risk neutralize the returns without relying on option price information. Empirically, we illustrate our methodology by estimating a tail-risk measure over a long historical period based on a set of size and book-to-market portfolios. We find that a risk premium is associated with long-short strategies with portfolio sorts based on tail-risk sensitivities of individual securities. Our tail-risk index also provides meaningful information about future market returns and aggregate macroeconomic conditions. Results are robust to the cross-sectional information and other parameters selected to compute the tail-risk measure.