The World Price of Credit Risk

Global asset pricing models have failed to capture the cross-section of country equity returns. Emerging markets display robust positive pricing errors, and country-level characteristics play a role in pricing international equities. This paper offers a risk-based explanation for such asset pricing deviations. A world credit risk factor is significantly priced in the cross-section of country equity returns. In its presence, the positive pricing errors in emerging markets disappear and country-level characteristics no longer play a role. The risk premium for exposure to the credit risk factor is 80 basis points per month and has increased in recent years. (JEL G12, G14, G15)