Multifractal behavior of the Korean stock-market index KOSPI

We investigate multifractality in the Korean stock-market index KOSPI. The generalized qth order height-height correlation function shows multiscaling properties. There are two scaling regimes with a crossover time around t(c) = 40 min. We consider the original data sets and the modified data sets obtained by removing the daily jumps, which occur due to the difference between the closing index and the opening index. To clarify the origin of the multifractality, we also smooth the data through convolution with a Gaussian function. After convolution we observe that the multifractality disappears in the short-time scaling regime t < t(c), but remains in the long-time scaling regime t > t(c), regardless of whether or not the daily jumps are removed. We suggest that multifractality in the short-time scaling regime is caused by the local fluctuations of the stock index. But the multifractality in the long-time scaling regime appears to be due to the intrinsic trading properties, such as herding behavior, information outside the market, the long memory of the volatility, and the nonlinear dynamics of the stock market. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.