Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

The Public Face Of Private Credit: Performance Dynamics In Business Development Companies, Russell Kuan

CMC Senior Theses

This study examines the performance dynamics of public Business Development Companies (BDCs) – a unique and growing component of the private credit market that bridges public and private financing. Publicly traded BDCs provide critical capital to underserved middle-market firms, while giving investors access to private credit opportunities. Using a hand-pulled dataset derived from 10-K filings and supplemental sources, this research identifies the key financial and operational factors driving BDC performance, with a focus on senior secured loan allocations, portfolio yield, and leverage strategies. The findings reveal that portfolio yield and senior secured loan allocations are significant predictors of total returns …

Altman Z-Score Relationship With Stock Price Performance After Layoff Announcements, Natalie Phillips

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the broader implications of such workforce reductions, historically prevalent in corporate environments since the advent of "new capitalism" in the late 20th century. Characterized by intense global competition, deregulation, and technological advancements, this era saw a surge in corporate downsizing as a means to enhance efficiency and competitiveness. Despite the strategic intentions, layoffs often signal underlying organizational challenges, prompting critical inquiry into their short- and long-term impacts on firm performance and investor sentiment. Central to this study is the exploration of whether a firm's Altman Z-Score, a metric predicting bankruptcy risk, influences stock price reactions following layoff …

Forecasting Equity Betas Using Option-Implied Moments, Ivan Kolesnikov

CMC Senior Theses

Traditional beta estimates are constructed from historical stock‑and‑market returns and therefore adjust only as fast as realized data accrue. This thesis investigates whether the forward‑looking information embedded in equity‑option prices can enhance beta forecasts. Using near‑end‑of‑day quotes for 236 S&P 500 firms between 2007 and 2024, I extract risk‑neutral variance and skewness, construct five alternative beta estimators (historical, option‑implied, and three hybrids), and evaluate them against realized betas over six‑, twelve‑, and twenty‑four‑month windows. Rolling‑OLS beta remains the most accurate benchmark at short horizons, yet option‑implied moments add economically and statistically significant value when systematic exposure is expected to change …

The Pricing Of Forecast-Based Earnings Uncertainty In Equity Markets, Brenda G. Galvan

CMC Senior Theses

This paper constructs a firm-level measure of earnings forecast uncertainty by adapting the macroeconomic methodology of Jurado et al. (2015) to micro-level financial statement data from Compustat and CRSP. Using a two-stage estimation procedure, I first forecast the scaled year-over-year changes in earnings, defined as the change in income before extraordinary items normalized by firm sales,based on lagged firm fundamentals. I then model the squared forecast errors to extract the unpredictable component of earnings variation, generating a forward-looking, firm-specific measure of ex-ante uncertainty. Empirically, I examine whether this forecast uncertainty measure is priced in equity markets by regressing future stock …

The Effect Of The Tcja And Cares Act On Charitable Contributions And The Financial Health Of The Nonprofit Sector, Nathanio A. Bright

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 on charitable contributions and nonprofit financial health. The standard deduction increase introduced by the TCJA disincentivized middle to low-income earners from making contributions. In March 2020, Congress temporarily increased the AGI limit on charitable deductions while simultaneously offering an above-the-line deduction for all U.S. taxpayers. While earlier studies have analyzed the effect of the TCJA in disincentivizing charitable contributions, no study has examined the moderating effect of the TCJA and CARES Act in affecting contributions …

Optimizing Bitcoin Allocation: Predictability Of Bitcoin Portfolio Weights Through Macroeconomic Variables, Kirby Baynes

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines whether Bitcoin is a beneficial asset in a diversified, mean-variance optimized portfolio and whether its portfolio weights can be reliably predicted using macroeconomic variables. Using data from December 2013 to February 2025, the analysis applies rolling-window portfolio optimization and OLS regressions with Newey-West standard errors to test the relationship between Bitcoin allocations and a set of macroeconomic indicators. Results show that Bitcoin receives non-zero weights across portfolios and that its optimal allocation is sensitive to variables such as changes in the Credit Spread and Yield Curve. These variables were statistically significant in several models and produced meaningful …

Scaling Social Impact Bonds In The United States: Barriers, Incentives, And Policy Solutions, Angelique M. Rivanis

CMC Senior Theses

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a form of outcomes-based financing that fund social programs by shifting financial risk from the government to private investors. While SIBs have gained international traction, their long-term viability in the United States depends on structural reforms. This thesis examines two completed U.S. SIB projects, Rikers Island in New York and the Just-in-Reach project in Los Angeles, through an analysis of their design, implementation, and outcomes. While both projects focus on criminal justice, they provide context about the scalability of SIBs across multiple social policy areas.The three primary constraints are high transaction costs, limited investor interest, …

The Financialization Of The American Dream: Private Equity’S Rise In The Single-Family Rental Market, Colby Sherwin

Honors Theses and Capstones

This thesis examines how private equity firms and other institutional investors are reshaping the single-family rental market in the United States, and what that shift means for homeownership, affordability, and community stability. What began as a short-term strategy to acquire foreclosed homes after the 2008 financial crisis has evolved into a long-term business model, with firms now owning hundreds of thousands of properties across the country. Leveraging their financial scale, these investors often outbid individual buyers, particularly in fast-growing cities. While proponents argue that institutional ownership brings professionalism and much-needed supply to tight housing markets, data shows that it has …

The Information Spillover Effects Of Earnings Announcements: Evidence From Thailand, Panatakorn Piyawannasuth

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

AbstractThis research investigates spillover effects during announcement days in the Thai stock market, covering the period from 2015 to 2024, covering all publicly traded companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The paper aims to determine whether limited spillover effects in developed markets persist in emerging markets whose institutional features are quite different.The empirical evidence strongly confirms that Thai earnings announcements are made up predominantly of firm-specific information, as compared with industry-level information, consistent with developed-market profiles. The conditional spillover study, however, reveals characteristic Thai capital market characteristics. Firms reporting significant earnings surprises demonstrate no systematic evidence in precipitating larger …

Governance Rating Disagreement And Earnings Management In Asean Listed Firms, Pawat Dumrongkiate

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates the relationship between corporate governance ratings and earnings management among publicly listed firms across six ASEAN countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—during the period 2015–2023. It examines whether the coverage, level, and disagreement of governance ratings influence the degree of discretionary accruals, which are used as a proxy for earnings management. The Modified Jones Model and Kothari’s performance-matched approach were employed to estimate discretionary accruals, with firm, country, industry, and year fixed effects applied to control for unobserved heterogeneity. The results reveal that governance rating coverage and overall rating levels do not significantly affect earnings …

Flight From Liquidity And Bond Yields: Evidence From Thai Market, Sasipim Sinithanon

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates how liquidity risk influences mutual fund selling behavior and bond pricing in the Thai bond market during periods of distress. Using quarterly mutual fund holdings from Morningstar and transaction-level data from the Thai Bond Market Association (ThaiBMA) between 2015 and 2024, the analysis examines whether mutual funds exhibit “Flight from Liquidity” behavior—selling their most liquid assets under stress—and how such behavior affects bond yield spreads.Three hypotheses are tested. First, whether mutual funds are more likely to sell government bonds than corporate bonds during distress periods. Second, whether funds exhibit flight-from-liquidity behavior within each bond segment by selling …

The Moderating Role Of Investor Sentiment Regimes On The Impact Of Flow Types On Capital Structure Decisions (Evidence From Thailand), Shiva Sachaphimukh

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study analyzes how foreign and domestic capital flows influence the leverage of SET100 Thai non-financial firms, considering investor sentiment regimes and firm cyclicality (2013–2023). It contrasts fundamental foreign portfolio flows with speculative domestic trading turnover. Sentiment regimes powerfully amplify flow effects. Bullish domestic sentiment and high domestic turnover significantly increase leverage (sentiment-exploitation). Conversely, deteriorating sentiment and foreign outflows intensify debt reliance (stress-compensation). Domestic flows have stronger, more immediate leverage effects than foreign flows, revealing a behavioral asymmetry. Cyclical firms respond aggressively to domestic factors and sentiment, while non-cyclical firms prioritize foreign capital stability.The findings highlight the critical role of …

High-Yield Or Nothing? Investor Preferences For Riskier Bonds In Thailand, Thamon Chongkwanyuen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigates the determinants of investor demand for high-yield corporate bonds in Thailand's primary market between 2014 and 2024, focusing on whether investors exhibit reach-for-yield behavior and how they respond to past issuance patterns. Utilizing panel regression, with the Take-Up Ratio serving as the key measure of investor participation, the findings reveal that investor behavior is highly conditional. In normal or tightening monetary periods, high nominal yields and credit spreads are generally associated with lower subscription rates, suggesting investors interpret elevated returns as a signal of greater credit risk. However, this risk aversion is reversed during accommodative monetary conditions …

Salience, Trading Volume And 52-Week High Effects On Stock Returns: Evidence From Thai Stock Market, Tonnsaai Anantrechai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study examines the interaction between salience effects and the 52-week high phenomenon in the Thai stock market, with particular attention to the mediating role of trading volume. Using data from SET100 constituents spanning May 2005 to December 2024, we employ the salience measure developed by Bordalo et al. (2012) and Cosemans and Frehen (2021) to investigate whether stocks with salient payoffs exhibit different return patterns when approaching their 52-week highs. Following Lin (2024), we test whether abnormal trading volume amplifies these behavioral effects. Our findings reveal a notable discrepancy: while historical portfolio sorts show extreme return differentials between salience …

The Determinants Of Short-Term And Long-Term Performance Of Initial Public Offering: Evidence From The Stock Exchange Of Thailand (Set) And Market For Alternative Investment (Mai), Chittakrij Peungsugk

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study examines the determinants of short and long-term IPO performance in the SET and mai market. Using samples of SET and mai IPOs from 2014-2021, the research investigates how underwriter reputation, institutional investor ownership, and big-4 auditor influence cumulative abnormal returns across time horizons. From information asymmetry, certification, and signaling theories, the study uses multiple linear regression with OLS to analyze IPO performance. Results are different between the two markets. In SET, underwriter reputation shows no certification effect across all time horizons for all reputation measures. Institutional investor ownership demonstrates no short-term impact but exhibits negative impacts with long-term …

Disaggregating Foreign Investor Influence: Direct Holdings, Nvdrs, And Stock Price Crash Risk In The Thai Equity Market, Ploypailin Rattanaphongchirakun

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis investigates the relationship between foreign ownership and stock price crash risk in the Stock Exchange of Thailand during the period 2005 to 2024. It focuses on differentiating between direct foreign investors who hold voting shares and Non-Voting Depository Receipts (NVDRs), which provide economic benefits similar to regular shares but do not confer voting rights at shareholder meetings. Additionally, this study examines whether information asymmetry and stock liquidity moderate the relationship between foreign ownership and stock price crash risk. The analysis utilizes panel data from the top 100 companies by market capitalization listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. …

The Effect Of Economic And Climate Policy Uncertainties On Momentum Strategies Across Different Esg Levels, Siwaphat Prommana

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis investigates the impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) and Climate Policy Uncertainty (CPU) on ESG momentum strategies in U.S. equity markets from 2011 to 2023. Momentum portfolios are constructed within high- and low-rated ESG pillar groups to assess how policy uncertainty influences their performance across different firm characteristics, including sectoral classification and geographic operations. Empirical analysis reveals that policy uncertainty, particularly through Forecast and News channels, significantly affects momentum returns, with the strongest effects concentrated among low ESG-rated and domestically focused firms. Cyclical sectors display heightened sensitivity to both EPU and CPU, while international firms show weaker or …

The Effect Of Trading Volume From Different Investor Types On Trading Friction Anomaly Returns In Thailand: Evidence From Market Microstructure Data Of The Stock Exchange Of Thailand, Suparkit Assavanig

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study introduces a novel approach to understanding how trading volumes from individual, institutional, and foreign investors influence anomaly returns in Thailand's stock market. I integrate comprehensive analysis of seven trading friction anomalies with unique market microstructure data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand's database. This approach enables construction of long-short portfolio strategies, while accounting for the distinct trading behaviors of different investor groups during the period from 2011 to 2021.Remarkably, I discovered asymmetric effects where retail trading amplifies certain anomalies while reducing others, contradicting traditional noise trader theories. Furthermore, the integration of investor-type volume indicators with long-short anomaly strategies …

Money: A Functional Analysis, Steven L. Schwarcz

Faculty Scholarship

Most people currently think of money as government-issued paper certificates or coins that specify units of currency, such as dollars or euros. The advent of digital currencies, which appear abstract because of their intangibility, is therefore confounding almost everyone.

This Article argues that money should also be viewed functionally—as a “right” that serves one or more of the generally accepted functions of money. The Article focuses on two of money’s most generally accepted functions: to serve as a medium of exchange to facilitate the sale of goods and services, and to serve as a store of value. To perform these …

Accounting Aspects Of Appraisals, Raymond A. Weber

Bachelors’ Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explain the application of appraisals to the following specific accounting problems: 1. The Establishment of Plant Accounts 2.The Determination of Invested Capital 3. The Distribution of Departmental Investment

It is important to keep accurate property records in every line of industry; yet property accounts are subject to many inaccuracies, and their correct maintenance offers many perplexing problems to the accountant. This thesis is, therefore, an attempt to point out some of the more common errors which creep into property records, and to show how appraisals may be applied to correct these errors. Particular …