One shape fits all? A comprehensive examination of cryptocurrency return distributions

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Authors

Szczygielski, Jan Jakub
Karathanasopoulos, Andreas
Zaremba, Adam

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

Routledge

Abstract

We perform the most comprehensive test of cryptocurrency return distributions to date. We fit 58 hypothetical distributions to 15 major cryptocurrencies to establish which of these best describes cryptocurrency returns. The answer is: ‘It depends.’ A sharp-peaked Cauchy distribution is the most likely distribution for the majority of return series. Specific distributions are definitively identified for only a handful of cryptocurrencies. The best fitting distributions are peaked and thick-tailed, with some possessing variable shape parameters. Our findings have implications for financial modelling and its applications, such as risk measurement and risk management.

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Keywords

Cryptocurrencies, Return distributions, Bitcoin, Skewness, Kurtosis

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Szczygielski, J.J., Karathanasopoulos, A. & Zaremba, A. 2020, 'One shape fits all? A comprehensive examination of cryptocurrency return distributions', Applied Economics Letters, vol. 27, no. 19, pp. 1567-1573.