Exploring the Safety Premium of Safe Assets

Christensen, Jens H. E.; Mirkov, Nikola

Journal Article

Exploring the Safety Premium of Safe Assets

Abstract: Investors are usually willing to pay a higher price, known as a premium, for a safe fixed-income asset in return for the convenience of its high quality and liquidity. A study of Swiss government bonds—widely considered to be extremely safe but not particularly liquid—can give some insights into how quality affects the premium. The large and variable safety premium of these bonds surged to persistently higher levels following the launch of the euro. However, subsequent large asset purchases by the European Central Bank depressed the safety premium.

Keywords: Swiss government bonds; safety premium; safe assets;