Volatility or higher moments: Which is more important in return density forecasts of stochastic volatility model?

Extensions of the stochastic volatility (SV) model focus on improving volatility inference or modeling higher moments of the return distribution. This study investigates which extension can better improve return density forecasts. By examining various specifications with S&P 500 daily returns for nearly 20 years, we find that a more accurate capture of volatility dynamics with realized volatility and implied volatility is more important than modeling higher moments for a conventional SV model in terms of both density and tail forecasts. The accuracy of volatility estimation and forecasts should be the precondition for higher moment extensions.