China's risk contagion using the mixed-frequency macro-financial network

We explore and compare the fundamental laws of risk contagion under different shocks during the global financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic periods. Using the daily returns of financial market indices and the monthly growth rates of macroeconomic data for two periods, from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010, and from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021, we construct a macro-financial network with the mixed-frequency vector autoregression (MF-VAR) method to produce well-defined measures of intra-system and cross-system risk contagion. We investigate the differences in risk contagion under different types of major events using an event study model. The empirical results show that the financial system is the center of risk contagion. Regarding the direction of the cross-system risk contagion, the risk contagion from the financial to the macroeconomic system dominates the contagion in the opposite direction. The impacts of financial and pandemic shocks on the macro-financial risk contagion differ significantly. Importantly, both investor sentiment and consumer confidence mediate these impacts, providing useful insights into the prevention of risk contagion. •A China’s macro-financial network is constructed with mixed-frequency data.•It produces the measures of intra-system and cross-system risk contagion.•The laws of risk contagion in China under two different shocks are investigated.•The empirical results show that financial system is the center of risk contagion.•Risk contagion from the financial system to the macroeconomic system dominates.