Sovereign Risk in the Classical Gold Standard Era

Abstract

This paper reassesses the determinants of sovereign bond yields during the classical gold standard period (1872-1913) using the pooled mean group methodology. We find that, rather than lowering risk premia directly, membership of the gold standard hastened the convergence of sovereign bond spreads to their long-run equilibrium levels. Our results also suggest that investors looked beyond the gold standard to country-specific fundamental factors when pricing and differentiating sovereign risk.