Idiosyncratic volatility and cash flow volatility: New evidence from S&P 500

Employing firm-level data of S&P 500 constituent companies from 1990 to 2016, we offer new evidence on the strong time series and cross-sectional relationships between Idiosyncratic stock return volatility (Ivol) and cash flow volatility even after controlling for illiquidity and firm size, which also vary by period of economic condition. Our results show that Ivol is well explained by the volatility of the three components of DuPont ROE. Aggregate asset turnover volatility alone explains 81.8% of the time series variation of aggregate Ivol, and all independent variables explain 94.7% of the aggregate Ivol. While profit margin volatility and asset turnover volatility have significant relationships with Ivol during the sample period, the volatility of equity multiplier shows significance during the two recession periods in early and late 2000s.