A popular class of yield curve models is based on
the Nelson and Siegel (1987) (hereafter
NS) approach of fitting yield curve data with
simple functions of maturity. However, NS models are
not theoretically consistent and they also lack an
economic foundation, which limits their wider
application in finance and economics.
This thesis derives an intertemporally-consistent
and arbitrage-free version of the NS model, and
provides an explicit macroeconomic foundation for
that augmented NS (ANS) model. To illustrate the
general applicability of the ANS model, it is then
applied to four distinct topics spanning finance and
economics, each of which are active areas of
research in their own right: i.e (1) forecasting the
yield curve; (2) investigating relationships
between the yield curve and the macroeconomy; (3)
fixed interest portfolio
management; and (4) investigating the uncovered
interest parity hypothesis (UIPH).
the Nelson and Siegel (1987) (hereafter
NS) approach of fitting yield curve data with
simple functions of maturity. However, NS models are
not theoretically consistent and they also lack an
economic foundation, which limits their wider
application in finance and economics.
This thesis derives an intertemporally-consistent
and arbitrage-free version of the NS model, and
provides an explicit macroeconomic foundation for
that augmented NS (ANS) model. To illustrate the
general applicability of the ANS model, it is then
applied to four distinct topics spanning finance and
economics, each of which are active areas of
research in their own right: i.e (1) forecasting the
yield curve; (2) investigating relationships
between the yield curve and the macroeconomy; (3)
fixed interest portfolio
management; and (4) investigating the uncovered
interest parity hypothesis (UIPH).