Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

Locating Decision Rights: Evidence From The Mutual Fund Industry, George D. Cashman, Daniel N. Deli

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

Mutual fund advisors make portfolio decisions for their funds on a daily basis. We examine the location of these portfolio decision rights on two dimensions. First, we consider the geographic location of the decision rights. Second, we consider whether the decision rights remain with an advisor or are allocated to an independent sub-advisor. We argue that the allocation of portfolio decision rights involves a tradeoff between the opportunity cost of not matching decision rights with specific knowledge, and the agency costs associated with moving the decision rights to the specific knowledge. The patterns in the location of decision rights are …

Dating The Timeline Of Financial Bubbles During The Subprime Crisis, Peter C. B. Phillips, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

A new recursive regression methodology is introduced to analyze the bubble characteristics of various financial time series during the subprime crisis. The methods modify a technique proposed in Phillips, Wu, and Yu (2011) and provide a technology for identifying bubble behavior with consistent dating of their origination and collapse. The tests serve as an early warning diagnostic of bubble activity and a new procedure is introduced for testing bubble migration across markets. Three relevant financial series are investigated, including a financial asset price (a house price index), a commodity price (the crude oil price), and one bond price (the spread …

Bayesian Analysis Of Structural Credit Risk Models With Microstructure Noises, Shirley J. Huang, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this paper a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique is developed for the Bayesian analysis of structural credit risk models with microstructure noises. The technique is based on the general Bayesian approach with posterior computations performed by Gibbs sampling. Simulations from the Markov chain, whose stationary distribution converges to the posterior distribution, enable exact ¯nite sample inferences of model parameters. The exact inferences can easily be extended to latent state variables and any nonlinear transformation of state variables and parameters, facilitating practical credit risk applications. In addition, the comparison of alternative models can be based on deviance information criterion …

At A Crossroads: The Impact Of International Financial Reporting Standards In The U.S., Cindy K. Harris

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

Public companies in the United States face a new challenge. As set forth in its roadmap for implementation, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is considering the potential use of financial statements prepared in accordance with international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”.) The chief goal of these global standards is to establish a uniform system to improve comparability of companies’ financial positions. For decades, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) have been the framework of financial statement preparation for public companies in the U.S. The movement to IFRS represents an unprecedented change in the basis of financial reporting, since IFRS would supersede …

Monitoring State-Owned Versus State-Controlled Enterprises, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

What’s the best way to monitor listed Chinese companies effectively? Should the Chinese government introduce more stringent corporate governance regulations to keep managers on their toes? Forget it. According to a research study by SMU accounting professor Wang Jiwei, the government is better off ditching its little black book of corporate governance reform and focusing on other ways to get results. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regulation Of The Otc Derivatives Market: A Regulatory Proposal Of Cds, Erik Welin

WCBT Undergraduate Publications

According to many commentators the credit derivatives and especially CDS have been a leading cause to the development of the current financial crisis. During the last year, policy makers, regulators, and other commentators around the world have therefore focused their attention on how to regulate OTC derivatives and especially CDS.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze some of the proposed regulatory responses to OTC derivatives and especially CDS from an economic point of view. The paper proposes a twofold regulatory response. First it proposes that we return to the old common law rule of "rule against difference contracts". …

Historical Data: Net Farm Income, Department Of Agricultural Economics, University Of Kentucky

Agricultural Economics Presentations

No abstract provided.

Mass Business Report, College Of Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Financial Services Forum Publications

Welcome to the College of Management, UMASS – Boston, Financial Services Forum’s Fall 2009 report on the Massachusetts economy. The Forum is a source of current information and commentary about critical issues facing the industries in Boston and at the national level, as well as the health of financial services in general.

Stochastic Business Cycle Volatilities, Capital Accumulation And Economic Growth: Lessons From The Global Credit Market Crisis, Kwamie Dunbar

WCBT Faculty Publications

The recent global economic downturn in a number of economies was preceded by rising credit market risk brought on by a massive financial market failure. This paper develops a small open economy model that analyzes the interaction of business cycle volatilities with capital accumulation and the subsequent impacts on economic growth. We use a stochastic dynamic programming model to test the central hypothesis that rising volatility shocks is an inhibitor to capital accumulation and subsequently economic growth. The model illustrates that traditional capital-based growth models which assume a constant capital stock are not consistent with the business cycle variation in …

Finance Flies High: How Unilever Redesigned The Finance Function To Build Brand Value And Drive Growth, Barbara M. Tarasovich, Bridget Lyons

WCBT Faculty Publications

Unilever's finance team played a key role in the success of their brands. The company achieved its fourth consecutive year of accelerating organic sales growth from less than 0.5% in 2004 to more than 7% in 2008, according to Jim Lawrence, Unilever's CFO. Its strategy is to focus on volume growth and strengthening the competitive position of the company's brands. In this article, the authors examine how the finance function at Unilever was redesigned to deliver the firm's strategic goals, including an emphasis on volume growth and competitive position of its brands. Beginning in 2005, the finance team at Unilever …

Origins And Resolution Of Financial Crises: Lessons From The Current And Northern European Crises, Finn Ostrup, Lars Oxelheim, Clas Wihlborg

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Since July 2007, the world economy has experienced a severe financial crisis that originated in the U.S. housing market. Subsequently, the crisis has spread to financial sectors in European and Asian economies and led to a severe worldwide recession. The existing literature on financial crises rarely distinguishes between factors that create the original strain on the financial sector and factors that explain why these strains lead to system-wide contagion and a possible credit crunch. Most of the literature on financial crises refers to factors that cause an original disruption in the financial system. We argue that a financial crisis with …

Wise Charitable Giving, Ann House, Janet Andersen

All Current Publications

This publication provides ten tips to smart, charitable giving.

2008-2009 Operating Budget: Subr Agricultural Extension And Research Programs, Southern University System. Office Of Finance & Administration.

All Southern University System Budgets

2008-2009 Operating Budget of the SUBR Agricultural Research and Extension Center Campus. Fiscal Year Ending June 2009.

2009-2010 Operating Budget: Southern University Law Center, Southern University System. Office Of Finance & Administration.

All Southern University System Budgets

The 2009-2010 Fiscal Year Operating Budget for the Southern University Law Center Campus.

2009-2010 Higher Education Operating Fund Budget: Southern University At Shreveport, Southern University System. Office Finance & Administration.

All Southern University System Budgets

The Higher Education Operating Fund Budget of the 2009-2010 Southern University at Shreveport Campus.

2009-2010 Revised Operating Budget, Southern University System. Office Of Finance & Administration.

All Southern University System Budgets

The Southern University System Board and System Administration Higher Education Operating Fund Budget Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2010. Revised September 30, 2009.

The Current Global Financial Crisis: Do Asian Stock Markets Show Contagious Or Interdependency Effects?, Lucia Morales, Bernadette Andreosso-O'Callaghan

Conference Papers

In the framework of the current global economic crisis, a pertinent question is whether the world economies are suffering from contagion or interdependency effects. With its origins in the US sub-prime mortgage market crisis starting at the end of 2007, when a loss of confidence by investors in the value of securitized mortgages resulted in a liquidity crisis, hard-hitting the banking system and rapidly spreading into the financial markets, the effects of the crisis were automatically reflected in the rest of the world economies. These effects that become severe as the rest of the world has been facing its economic …

The Geography Of Hedge Funds, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

This article analyzes the relationship between the risk-adjusted performance of hedge funds and their proximity to investments using data on Asian-focused hedge funds. We find, relative to an augmented Fung and Hsieh (2004) factor model, that hedge funds with a physical presence (head or research office) in their investment region outperform other hedge funds by 3.72 percent per year. The local information advantage is pervasive across all major geographical regions, but is strongest for Emerging Market funds and funds holding illiquid securities. These results are robust to adjustments for fund fees, serial correlation, backfill bias, and incubation bias. We show …

Following The Financial Crisis: Risk And Opportunities For Singapore, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Asian economies are showing signs of recovery, and the stock markets have rebounded, leading to optimism that the worst of the economic crisis is over. However, few are expecting a quick return to the boom years, for weakness still persists in major economies while uncertainties remain in others. Nevertheless, for those Singapore-based regional financial industry players speaking at a recent seminar organised by the Sim Kee Boon Institute of Financial Economics, they are picking up lessons learned, seeing beyond the near-term worries, and finding growth opportunities.

Lessons From Hedge Fund Fraud, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

We examine two of the most fascinating fraud cases that rocked the hedge fund industry: Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities and Bayou Management. From academic research and news reports, we distill important lessons for the hedge fund investor. Our key conclusions are (i) conflicts of interests are often symptomatic of more serious problems at hedge funds, (ii) auditing statements from obscure accounting firms should provide little assurance to investors, (iii) a comparison between the actual fund risk exposures based on realized returns with the theoretical risk exposures from the trading strategy serves as a useful cross-check for investors, and (iv) …

Leave Some Breathing Room For Optimal Value Creation In Asian Family-Owned Firms, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Corporate governance, via the active monitoring of a company’s management by its board of directors, is an accepted practice. For publicly-listed companies controlled by families, the general perception is independent directors should actively take up the mantle of watching out for the interests and rights of minority shareholders. But, is there a possibility whereby over-zealous monitoring might crimp the growth of these family-run companies, thus, doing more harm than good? According to a new study: Yes, it does!

Effects Of International Institutional Factors On Earnings Quality Of Banks, Chee Yeow Lim, Gerald Lobo, Kanagaretnam Kiridaran

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

No abstract provided.

The Geography Of Hedge Funds, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article analyzes the relationship between the risk-adjusted performance of hedge funds and their proximity to investments using data on Asia-focused hedge funds. I find, relative to an augmented Fung and Hsieh (2004) factor model, that hedge funds with a physical presence (head or research office) in their investment region outperform other hedge funds by 3.72% per year. The local information advantage is pervasive across all major geographical regions, but is strongest for emerging market funds and funds holding illiquid securities. These results are robust to adjustments for fund fees, serial correlation, backfill bias, and incubation bias. I show also …

Financial Management For Nonprofit Organizations: Father Joe's Village, Anna Plaster, Karen Pretzer, Simi Rush, Jim Stone

Finance

What started as a modest shelter for homeless families in downtown San Diego, has grown into Father Joe’s Villages (FJV), a multi-program, multi-dimensional approach to break the cycle of homelessness.

Since 1982, Fr. Joe’s Villages’ vision and mission reflect the aim the organization is determined to achieve within the communities it serves: to ensure that all neighbors in need will have access to food, housing, career development, healthcare, and education that will promote independence, self-sufficiency and fulfillment of one’s potential. To address these needs, FJV provides short and long term transitional housing for homeless men, women and families, and offers …

2009 Private Capital Markets Report, John K. Paglia

Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report

The Pepperdine private cost of capital survey was originally launched in 2007 and is the first comprehensive and simultaneous investigation of the major private capital market segments. This year’s survey specifically examined the behavior of senior lenders, asset‐based lenders, mezzanine funds, private equity groups, venture capital firms, angel investors, privately‐held businesses, investment bankers, business brokers, limited partners, and business appraisers. The Pepperdine survey investigated, for each private capital market segment, the important benchmarks that must be met in order to qualify for capital, how much capital is typically accessible, what the required returns are for extending capital in today’s economic …

How The Madoff Fraud Could Affect Your Cpa Practice, Stephen Scarpati

WCBT Faculty Publications

With an estimated $65 billion lost from trust funds, retirement plans, pensions, investment funds, inheritance monies, and nonprofit organizations, many people have been adversely affected by the Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard L. Madoff. When you combine a lot of lost money with a lot of angry people, the result is a lot of lawsuits. The breadth of those lawsuits will encompass all associated with the affected organizations--including CPAs. Those messages were loud and clear at the May 27, 2009, breakfast symposium "Are CPAs the Next Madoff Victims? The Accountant's Liability," sponsored by The CPA Journal.

The Impact Of Exchange Rate Movements On Firm Value In Emerging Markets: The Case Of Mexico, Chrystell Flota

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

It is a widely held belief among financial theorists, economic analysts, empirical researchers, and even the financial press, that exchange rate fluctuations ought to affect a firm's cash flow expectations and thus the value of the firm. Previous research has examined the relationship between currency exposure and firm value by focusing primarily on developed economies and on various variables regarding the firm's assets and revenues. The empirical evidence has not fully established what the link is between currency exposure and firm value; however, the evidence suggests that the relationship could be firm-specific, depending on the geographical distribution of the firm's …

Two Essays On Financial Sector Performance In Latin America, Omar M. Al Nassar

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This dissertation consists of two essays on financial sector performance in Latin America. These two essays complement each other so that, when placed together, they are expected to provide policymakers with guidelines on how to design appropriate financial sector reform strategies in an attempt to promote long-term economic development, and thus to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows not only for Latin American countries, but also for developing countries in general.

Chapter one investigates the extent to which the short and the long-run relationship between financial development and economic growth exists in Latin America. It focuses on two major …

The Evolution Of Lianyungang Port Fund From Share Market, Pengyu Bai

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Correlation Analysis Between Financial And Shipping Industry, Bailin Sui

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.