Non-linear modeling approaches, including Smooth Transition Autoregressive (STAR) models, have attracted a great deal of attention over the last two decades. The empirical application of these models, however, is not always a straightforward task. In particular, parameter estimation and...

This paper analyzes structured products with a focus on the Swiss market. Empirical results for these products' five major categories are presented, along with case studies and a general discussion. The paper addresses three main questions: How did structured products perform in the period...

We use a 3-factor Regime Switching Threshold model to study common factors in the excess returns of 18 European corporate bond indices during 2000-2014. Our results document significant time variation of the common factors across bond indices for different maturities, ratings and industries. The...