Journal of Current Research in Blockchain
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): Regular Issue March 2026

Modeling Financial Volatility of S&P 500 ETF Using GARCH and Rolling Window Analysis

Yang, Wang (Unknown)
Fan, Chen (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
07 Feb 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the financial volatility of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) using two distinct approaches the Rolling Window Volatility (20-day) and the GARCH (1,1) Approximation to analyze and compare the dynamic behavior of market risk. The analysis utilizes daily SPY price data to compute logarithmic returns and model volatility persistence over time. Descriptive statistics indicate that SPY returns exhibit volatility clustering, leptokurtosis, and negative skewness, implying that extreme market movements occur more frequently than predicted by a normal distribution. Empirical results show that both volatility measures successfully capture the cyclical nature of market risk but differ in responsiveness and interpretability. The rolling window method provides an intuitive and historical view of volatility patterns, while the GARCH (1,1) model captures conditional and time-varying volatility more effectively by incorporating both short-term shocks and long-term persistence. Comparative analysis reveals that GARCH estimates produce smoother and more adaptive volatility dynamics, making them more suitable for forecasting and real-time risk assessment. Overall, the findings confirm that volatility in financial markets is not constant but evolves dynamically in response to new information and investor behavior. The study emphasizes the importance of conditional volatility models in improving the accuracy of risk evaluation, portfolio management, and market forecasting, particularly during periods of heightened uncertainty.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Journal

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

The Journal of Current Research in Blockchain publishes high-quality research on: Blockchain technology Smart Contract Data Privacy Decentralization Data Distributed Ledger Technology Decentralized Applications Our goal is to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ...