Spread Risk Premia in Corporate Credit Default Swap Markets

The spread risk premium component of credit default swap (CDS) spreads represents a compensation demanded by protection sellers for future changes in CDS spreads caused by unpredictable fluctuations in the reference entity’s risk-neutral default intensity. This paper defines and estimates a measure of the spread risk premium component in CDS spreads of a sample of European investment-grade firms by using a stochastic intensity credit model. Our results show that, on average, investors demand a positive premium for such mark-tomarket risks. After controlling for CDS market conditions, like liquidity and supply/demand effects, a panel data analysis of the estimated spread risk premia reveals a positive impact of event risk captured by the overall stock market volatility and a negative impact of investors’ appetite for exposure to credit markets as reflected by the overall CDS market.