Tests of the conditional asset pricing model: further evidence from the cross-section of stock returns

We analyse the ability of the conditional asset pricing models to explain the cross-sectional variation in UK stock returns. We examine conditional versions of the Sharpe-Linter CAPM and the Fama-French three-factor model. The results indicate that the conditional single-factor model is rejected in all instances. However, there is evidence supportive of the three-factor model. A specification of this model that allows for time variation in conditional covariances, conditionally expected returns and the conditional variance of the market cannot be rejected. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.