NBER Publications by Josh Davis

We examine the factors that account for the returns on currency carry trade strategies. Using a dataset of daily returns spanning 18 years for 5 different long - short currency carry portfolios, we first document a robust empirical relationship between carry trade excess returns and exchange rate volatility, both realized and implied. Specifically, we extend and refine the results in Bhansali (2007) by documenting that currency carry trade strategies implemented with forward contracts have payoff and risk characteristics that are similar to those of currency option strategies that sell out of the money puts on high interest rates currencies. Both strategies have the feature of collecting premiums or carry to generate persistent excess returns that unwind sharply resulting in losses when ac...