BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260215T023728EST-1602umGvCW@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20260215T073728Z DESCRIPTION:Rong Wang\n\nDuke University \n\nResolving the Zero-Beta Rate P uzzle \n\nDate: Wednesday\, January 28\, 2026\n Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm\n L ocation: Bronfman building\, Room 301\n\nAll are cordially invited to atte nd.\n\n\nAbstract\n\nThis paper resolves a long-standing zero-beta rate pu zzle—the empirical finding that estimated zero-beta rates remain persisten tly high across factor models. I show that this apparent robustness arises from pervasive model misspecification rather than reflecting a genuinely high risk-free rate. When a factor model fails to perfectly price assets\, the zero-beta rate is no longer uniquely identified\, and the standard es timator—based on the minimum-variance zero-beta portfolio—converges toward the mean return of the global minimum-variance portfolio as model misspec ification increases. To quantify this mechanism\, I introduce a new invest ment-based measure of model misspecification: the maximum Sharpe ratio att ainable by zero-investment\, zero-beta portfolios. This measure captures t he economic magnitude of pricing errors and links model misspecification t o empirically observable investment opportunities. Studying a comprehensiv e set of classical and modern factor models\, I find substantial misspecif ication\, explaining why all models yield similarly elevated zero-beta rat es. Simulation analyses confirm that realistic degrees of misspecification can fully reproduce the empirical magnitude of the puzzle even when the t rue risk-free rate is low.\n DTSTART:20260128T163000Z DTEND:20260128T180000Z LOCATION:Room 301\, Bronfman Building\, CA\, QC\, Montreal\, H3A 1G5\, 1001 rue Sherbrooke Ouest SUMMARY:[CANCELLED] Finance Area Seminar: Rong Wang URL:/desautels/channels/event/cancelled-finance-area-s eminar-rong-wang-370575 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR