We analyze the cross-sectional relation between expected idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns. The expected idiosyncratic volatility is conditioned on macro-finance factors as well as traditional asset pricing factors. The macro-finance factors are constructed from a large set of...

The relationship between risk and expected returns has been investigated extensively in the financial economics literature. Theoretical models generally predict a positive relation between the two. Nevertheless, the empirical findings so far have been inconclusive. Using a generalization of the...