Books and journals Case studies Expert Briefings Open Access
Advanced search

Are agribusiness stocks an investor safe haven?

Jeremy M. D’Antoni (Economic Research Service, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)
Joshua Dean Detre (Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and LSU A&M, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA)

Agricultural Finance Review

ISSN: 0002-1466

Publication date: 28 October 2014

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine how an index of agribusiness stocks performs relative to the S&P 500 particularly in times of recession.

Design/methodology/approach

Using value-weighted indexes of agribusiness stocks, large cap US stocks, and copula estimation, the paper quantifies the correlation in potential investment portfolios. The information obtained from the copula estimated dependence measures and Value at Risk (VaR) allows to examine the diversification benefits of holding agribusiness stocks in the portfolio relative to the S&P 500.

Findings

The results provide limited evidence that the addition of agribusiness stocks to a portfolio are able to provide significant diversification benefits to a portfolio of domestic equities, as represented by the S&P 500 index. The VaR analysis also indicates the risk of extreme losses remained relatively stable both across time and portfolio weightings.

Research limitations/implications

While this research examines a broad-based agribusiness stock index, there exists a number of sub-assets classes within the analyzed index that should be analyzed to see if the offer benefits to investors. In addition, only stocks traded on US-based stock indexes are included in this analysis; as such, the authors would like to extend the research to have a more global approach.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that investors who are looking to a broad-based agribusiness stock index to provide more diversification in their portfolio, may find it unattractive from a both a risk management and profit maximizing perspective. However, that does not mean that the agribusiness stock index might be an affective complement to a portfolio that contains multiple other assets classes.

Originality/value

The issue of correlation convergence during financial crises is one of great concern to investors. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that uses copulas to evaluate the role of agribusiness stocks in an investor's portfolio.

Keywords

  • Diversification
  • Stock market
  • Copulas
  • Value at Risk
  • Investments

Acknowledgements

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Economic Research Service or the US Department of Agriculture. The authors express thanks to the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station for support of this research. The authors also appreciate the comments of the two anonymous reviewers whose suggestions greatly improved the final version of this manuscript. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Economic Research Service, the US Department of Agriculture, or the LSU AgCenter.

Citation

M. D’Antoni, J. and Dean Detre, J. (2014), "Are agribusiness stocks an investor safe haven?", Agricultural Finance Review, Vol. 74 No. 4, pp. 522-538. https://doi.org/10.1108/AFR-06-2013-0027

Download as .RIS

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes

You may be able to access teaching notes by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us

To read the full version of this content please select one of the options below

You may be able to access this content by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
To rent this content from Deepdyve, please click the button.
Rent from Deepdyve
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us
Emerald Publishing
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
© 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited

Services

  • Authors Opens in new window
  • Editors Opens in new window
  • Librarians Opens in new window
  • Researchers Opens in new window
  • Reviewers Opens in new window

About

  • About Emerald Opens in new window
  • Working for Emerald Opens in new window
  • Contact us Opens in new window
  • Publication sitemap

Policies and information

  • Privacy notice
  • Site policies
  • Modern Slavery Act Opens in new window
  • Chair of Trustees governance statement Opens in new window
  • COVID-19 policy Opens in new window
Manage cookies

We’re listening — tell us what you think

  • Something didn’t work…

    Report bugs here

  • All feedback is valuable

    Please share your general feedback

  • Member of Emerald Engage?

    You can join in the discussion by joining the community or logging in here.
    You can also find out more about Emerald Engage.

Join us on our journey

  • Platform update page

    Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

  • Questions & More Information

    Answers to the most commonly asked questions here