Oil and renewable energy stock markets: Unique role of extreme shocks

Various environmental issues and destructive disasters have driven the attention of renewable energy sources to an unprecedented level. Based on extreme shocks, this paper mainly examines the causal relations of oil and renewable energy markets from the perspectives of time and frequency domains. We find the causal relations of Wilder Hill Clean Energy index (NEX) and West Texas Intermediate oil futures nearly do not exist in normal shocks but mainly exist among the extreme shocks, especially during the long-term and short-term horizons. These results are robust considering alternative oil futures benchmark and alternative renewable energy stocks. Interestingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that significant causal relations mainly exist among the extreme shocks of NEX and WTI, but the relations are weaker. Our paper aims to disclose new insights into oil and renewable energy stock markets, which are of vital importance to related enterprises, market participants, policy makers, and scholars.

Automated summary

This study investigates the causal relations between oil and renewable energy markets from the perspectives of time and frequency domains, and finds that these relations are more pronounced during extreme shocks. Interestingly, the causal relations are weaker during the COVID-19 pandemic.