Is The Idiosyncratic Volatility Puzzle Driven By A Missing Factor?

Purpose - We investigate whether a potential missing pricing factor plays a significant role in the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle. Design/methodology/approach - We theoretically show how a missing pricing factor can affect the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle, and also show how to get around the problem empirically. We adopt the Fama-French five factor model for the estimation of the idiosyncratic risk and use randomly constructed portfolios as test assets. Findings - We find that a missing factor does not drive the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle. Thus, we conclude that the idiosyncratic volatility does affect the risk premium of its stock. Research implications or Originality - The Fama-French five factor model does a pretty good job in explaining the risk premiums of stocks, and it can be used to reliably estimate idiosyncratic risk of stocks.