Forthcoming in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis: The Valuation of Corporate Coupon Bonds

Forthcoming in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis: The Valuation of Corporate Coupon Bonds

05/22/2024 07:36 AM

Forthcoming in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis:

The Valuation of Corporate Coupon Bonds
Jens Hilscher, Robert A. Jarrow, and Donald R. van Deventer

Abstract

This paper proposes and estimates a tractable, arbitrage-free valuation model for corporate
coupon bonds that includes a more realistic recovery rate process. Most existing studies use
a recovery rate process that is misspecified because it includes recovery for coupons due after
default. Misspecification errors from assuming recovery on all coupons can be substantial;
they increase with recovery rates, coupons, maturity, and default probabilities. For a large
sample of market transactions: (i) our model has lower pricing errors than one assuming
recovery on all coupons, and (ii) the magnitude of our model's outperformance is linked to
misspecification errors from assuming recovery on coupons.

The full paper is attached below: