Market-Dependent Casuality Between Futures and Spot

The relationship between futures and spot is still an important issue in academic communities and supervisory departments. In this paper, the Granger Causality Test is extended into quantile regression and then the relationship between futures and spot is investigated at different quantile positions. Note that under the model with differential data, different quantile positions are related to the corresponding financial environments. Consequently, a market-dependent casuality between futures and spot is established, by which we can study the relationship more deeply and comprehensively. The main points of view obtained in this paper are what follows: 1. The relationship between futures and spot is strongly related to the financial environments, besides the features of futures and spot; 2. Under the normal and stable financial markets, there is casuality one another, but the relationship will be abnormal under extremal financial conditions, the common relationship between futures and spot is masked by other financial factors; 3. If the casuality was seen as a normal fact logically, then the abnormal relationship should indicate a bad or extremal financial environment, which provides supervisory departments with a warning signal.