Evaluation of the performance and of the integration of the euro zone stock market: which are the "right moments"?

Abstract

This study intends to verify if, on the stock markets of the Euro zone, the integration as a process that lead to their unification is applied, even if several disparities exist among the national characteristics of the return-risk. We verify the pertinence of the consideration of third and fourth order moments in the comprehension of the arbitration mechanisms. The first part focuses on establishing the situation of the integration of the stock markets from the Euro zone member countries on the basis of the main characteristics of the returns and the associated risk premiums. Starting with the apparent inadequacy in the traditional theory, the second part considers the usual responses to the main questions posed on the empirical plan: non-normality of the returns distributions and non-quadratic preferences of the investors. The third part solves the apparent contradiction among the risk’s characteristics and price, on one side, and the stronger and stronger correlations among the national markets and the European indexes, on the other side.