Does policy uncertainty affect equity, commodity, interest rates, and currency markets? Evidence from cboe’s volatility index

Abstract

Economic policy drives investment, production, employment, and other macroeconomic indicators of the economy. The study examines the equity, commodity, interest rates, and currency markets, taking into consideration the US economic policy uncertainty (EPU) index. The present work determines the association among policy uncertainty and volatility index, expressed in terms of generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity and period of empirical work spanning from 2000 to 2018. The results suggest that equity markets’ volatility tends to be very high based on a high degree of policy uncertainty. The findings on the commodity market indicate that crude oil and gold prices remain more volatile during the presidential election and financial crisis. One of the essential results shows that the 2000s boom, early credit crunch, Lehman’s collapse and recession, and fiscal policy battles have significantly affected the equity, currency, and commodity markets. The interest rates and currency markets have responded considerably to Feds’ and EPU index. The empirical outcome provides evidence that implied volatility index is a forward looking expectation of future stock market volatility, and it uncovers that policy uncertainty affects investor sentiment. The present work holds some practical implications for the government to formulate policies to regulate the US market.