Stock Volatility and the Crash of '87
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
and National Bureau of Economic Research
Review of Financial Studies, 3 (1990) 77-102
This paper analyzes the behavior of stock return volatility using daily data from 1885 through 1988. The
October 1987 stock market crash was unusual in many ways. October 19th was the largest percentage change in
market value in over 29,000 days. Stock volatility jumped dramatically during and after the crash. Nevertheless, it
returned to lower, more normal levels more quickly than past experience predicted. I use data on implied volatilities
from call option prices and estimates of volatility from futures contracts on stock indexes to confirm this result.
Key words: Volatility, Stock Market, Crash, Option, Heteroskedasticity
JEL Classifications: G12, G14
Cited 44 times in the SSCI through April 1996
© Copyright 1990, Society for Financial Studies
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