Time-varying variance decomposition of macro-finance term structure models

Abstract

This paper studies time-series patterns in the contribution of macroeconomic shocks to the variation in U.S. Treasury bond yields. I consider a term structure model with time-varying conditional volatility, which implies time variation in the decomposition of forecast error variances. Based on the model, I show that the macroeconomic contribution to the variation in short-term yields has increased since the 1970s. A similar pattern characterizes the variation in the expectations on future interest rates. This trend is not reflected in long-term yields because macroeconomic shocks drive negative correlations between short-rate expectations and term premia. Finally, I show that accounting for time-varying volatility is important even for estimating the average macroeconomic contribution to yield curve volatility over a fixed sample.