The return volatility and shock transmission patterns of chosen S&P and Dow Jones sustainability indices and their conventional counterpart

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic return volatility connectedness among S&P, Dow Jones (DJ) sustainability indices and their conventional counterparts. This study uses time-series daily data for 10 S&P and DJ indices over the period of December 1, 2012 to December 8, 2021. The authors divide the data into three periods; over the whole sample, pre and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study adopts the connectedness approach developed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2014).The results reveal a high degree of connectedness between S&P and DJ indices and their relative sustainability indices over the whole sample, pre and during the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating that the sustainability indices converge toward their conventional peers. The results further show that the conventional S&P500, S&P Euro 50 and DJWI are the main transmitters of shocks, whereas the S&P400, S&P500 and S&P50 sustainability indices are the main receivers of shocks.