Do investor sentiment, weather and catastrophe effects improve hedging performance? Evidence from the Taiwan options market

This study examines the usefulness of incorporating investor sentiment, weather, and catastrophe effects into the benchmark volatility model for an effective hedging strategy in the Taiwan options market. The empirical results indicate that investor sentiment, as measured by the option volatility index (VIX) and put-call open interest ratio (PCO), and the catastrophic factors of earthquakes (EQ) can help explain realized volatility and that the PCO has the best predictive ability. Incorporating investor sentiment and weather effects improves the hedging performance of options. VIX and changes in cloud cover (Delta CC) have significant improvement level for hedging performance, the highest of which are 0.44% and 536%, respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.