Volatility Dynamics of Base Metal Futures: Empirical Evidence from an Emerging Economy

Abstract

The paper examines the leverage effects and the spillover effects in the base metal cash and futures market. The study also attempts to find the trend and the pattern of volatility clustering in the base metal markets of India. Further, the significance of the risk premium and the possible downside risk of the market are also examined. The study confirms that unlike aluminium futures market, leverage effect is found for copper futures traded at MCX, India. Similar to aluminium, it is evident that the market advances generate larger volatility than the market turbulence in the cash and futures market of nickel. The study finds that the variance term (ξ) is not statistically significant for both cash and futures markets, which indicates that the risk premium of the asset is not significant to hedge. Further, unlike copper and aluminium, short-run volatility spillover is absent from the futures to the cash market of nickel. The paper concludes that the long-run volatility shock of futures has a persistent effect on the cash market of aluminium, copper and nickel and vice-versa. Future research might address the cross-volatility spillover between the base metal futures market. Further, the spillover between the Indian and London base metal futures markets is left for future research.