Explaining risk premia on bonds and equities

Abstract

Between 2002 and early 2005 risk premia for a number of asset classes across broad geographical areas not only fell substantially but also tended to move more closely together than they had done historically. This raises the question to what extent this apparent reduced investor discrimination across asset classes went beyond what can be accounted for by market-specific developments. In particular, the reduced discrimination among asset classes could suggest that factors other than market- or country-specific events have played a role in narrowing risk premia.