Do expected business conditions explain the value premium?

This study employs a new data set to re-examine the book-to-market effect. In contrast to past studies, a direct measure of expected business conditions is used to test whether the value premium is compatible with a risk-based explanation. The measure of expected business conditions is based on the Livingston survey of real GDP growth forecasts, and spans half a century. These forecasts are used to perform a comprehensive set of conditional (time series) and unconditional (cross-sectional) tests of the risk-based hypothesis. None of the tests provide firm evidence that the value premium can be explained by business risk. Evidence against the risk-based explanation is strongest for small firms.