Starting from the Merton framework for firm defaults, we provide the analytics and robustness of the relationship between default correlations. We show that loans with higher default probabilities will not only have higher variances but also higher correlations between loans. As a consequence,...

We investigate default probabilities and default correlations of Merton-type credit portfolio models in stress scenarios where a common risk factor is truncated. The analysis is performed in the class of elliptical distributions, a family of light-tailed to heavy-tailed distributions...

Starting from the Merton framework for firm defaults, we provide the analytics and robustness of the relationship between default correlations. We show that loans with higher default probabilities will not only have higher variances but also higher correlations between loans. As a consequence,...

This paper presents an empirical comparative study of di fferent covariance estimators. The Engle-Colacito test is used for an indirect evaluation of alternative out-of-sample covariance forecasts in a portfolio setting for varying sample sizes, short selling constraints and market conditions....

We analyze the optimal portfolio choice in a multi-asset Wishart-model in which return variances and correlations are stochastic and subject to jump risk. The optimal portfolio is characterized by the positions in stock diffusion risk, variance-covariance diffusion risk, and jump risk. We find...

Many financial decisions, such as portfolio allocation, risk management, option pricing and hedge strategies, are based on forecasts of the conditional variances, covariances and correlations of financial returns. The paper shows an empirical comparison of several methods to predict...

The covariation among financial asset returns is often a key ingredient used in the construction of optimal portfolios. Estimating covariances from data, however, is challenging due to the potential influence of estimation error involved specially in high dimensional problems, which can impact...