Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/154345 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
ECB Working Paper No. 1912
Publisher: 
European Central Bank (ECB), Frankfurt a. M.
Abstract: 
This paper computes time-varying indicators of the relative importance of different credit spread determinants, including rating, sector and country attribution as well as the coupon rate, maturity and liquidity on the basis of the comprehensive dataset of individual bonds. Additionally, it decomposes variances of rating-specific (country- and sector-specific) spread indices into the impacts of explanatory variables. Both cross-sectional and time series analyses confirm that the rating effect was the major driver of corporate bond spreads during the pre-crisis period, while the recent financial crisis was characterised by increased cross-country and cross-sector heterogeneity. The sector effects in corporate spreads together with the rating effects for high-rated and low-rated bonds are found to be more closely linked to default rates and stock indices, whereas the common effect also to be linked to business cycle conditions. The dataset also allows documenting a break-up in the existence of country ceilings for corporate bond ratings during the crisis.
Subjects: 
corporate bond spreads
credit risk
JEL: 
G12
C21
C22
E44
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-899-2160-2
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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