SMB and HML - The two-factor time-series regressions of excess stock returns on SMB and HML produce similar intercepts for the 25 stock portfolios (table 9a). The two-factor regression intercepts are, however, large (around 0.5% per month) and close to or more than two standard errors from 0. Intercepts that are similar in size support the conclusion from the cross-section regressions in Fama and French (1992a) that size and book-to-market factors explain the strong differences in average returns across stocks. But the large intercepts also say that SMB and HML do not explain the average premium of stock returns over one-month bill returns.