Estimating and Testing Investment-Based Asset Pricing Models

Investment-based asset pricing models typically predict a close link between a firm’s stock return and its characteristics at any point in time. Yet, previous studies have primarily focused on the weaker prediction that this link holds on average, finding substantial empirical support. The authors show how to incorporate the time-series predictions in the estimation and testing of investment-based models using the generalized method of moments. The authors find that standard specifications of investment-based models with one physical capital input fail to match the time series properties of stock returns in the data, and discuss the implications of the findings for future research.