Finance Commons^™

Flow-Performance Relationship And Tournament Behavior In The Mutual Fund Industry, Baoling Ma

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In this paper, we interpret the flow-performance relationship as an incentive scheme implicitly given to mutual fund managers by mutual fund investors. We show that the flow-performance relationship varies not only with economic activity but also across fund attributes. We provide evidence that the degree of convexity of the flow-performance relationship has a positive effect on the magnitude of tournament behavior. Different from the conventional tournament hypothesis, we show that although the convexity of the flow-performance relationship does produce implicit incentives for fund managers to modify risk-taking behavior as a function of their prior performance, whether or not the mid-year …

Stock Markets And Household Wealth: Can A Stock Market Crash Cause A Recession In The U.S. Economy?, Ishan Singh

Honors Theses

Stock market wealth effects on the level of consumption in the United States economy have been constantly debated; there is evidence for arguments for and against its prominence and its symmetry. This paper seeks to investigate the strength of its negative effect by creating models to analyze unexpected shocks to the Standard and Poor's 500 index. First, a transmission mechanism between the stock market and GDP is established through the use of second-order vector autoregressive models. Following which, theory from the life cycle model and adaptations of previous researchers' models are used to create a structural model. This paper finds …

Test For Infinite Variance In Stock Returns, Xian Ning Yan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The existence of second order moment or the finite variance is a commonly used assumption in financial time series analysis. We examine the validation of this condition for main stock index return series by applying the extreme value theory. We compare the performances of the adaptive Hill's estimator and the Smith's estimator for the tail index using Monte Carlo simulations for both i.i.d data and dependent data. The simulation results show that the Hill's estimator with adaptive data-based truncation number performs better in both cases. It has not only smaller bias but also smaller MSE when the true tail index …

Estimating The Dynamics Of Mutual Fund Alphas And Betas, Harry Mamaysky, Matthew Spiegel, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article develops a Kalman filter model to track dynamic mutual fund factor loadings. It then uses the estimates to analyze whether managers with market-timing ability can be identified ex ante. The primary findings are as follows: (i) Ordinary least squares (OLS) timing models produce false positives (nonzero alphas) at too high a rate with either daily or monthly data. In contrast, the Kalman filter model produces them at approximately the correct rate with monthly data; (ii) In monthly data, though the OLS models fail to detect any timing among fund managers, the Kalman filter does; (iii) The alpha and …

Do Analysts Influence Corporate Financing And Investment?, John A. Doukas, Chansog (Francis) Kim, Christos Pantzalis

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine whether abnormal analyst coverage influences the external financing and investment decisions of the firm. Controlling for self-selection bias in analysts' excessive coverage, we find that firms with high (low) analyst coverage consistently engage in higher (lower) external financing than do their industry peers of similar size. Our evidence also demonstrates that firms with excessive analyst coverage overinvest and realize lower future returns than do firms with low analyst coverage. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that analysts favor the coverage of firms that have the potential to engage in profitable investment-banking business.

Central Bank Of Nigeria Annual Report And Statement Of Accounts For The Year Ended 31st December 2007, Central Bank Of Nigeria

CBN Annual Report

In 2007, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) faced significant challenges in monetary management due to statutory allocations to government tiers, autonomous foreign exchange inflows, and pre-election spending. These challenges were addressed through Open Market Operations (OMO), issuance of treasury securities, standing facilities, and foreign exchange swaps. The introduction of the monetary policy rate (MPR) in December 2006 moderated inter-bank rates, encouraged trading, and improved the transmission of monetary policy actions. The Bank intensified its non-regular management activities to ensure the Policy Support Instrument (PSI) target was met. The financial system at end-2007 comprised the CBN, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance …

Some Perspectives On The Actuarial Adequacy Of The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, Andrew Frank Thompson

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

This paper analyzes the actuarial adequacy of PBGC in providing insurance coverage to employees participating in single employer, defined benefit pension plans. The first part of this investigation examines the micro and macro economic factors that impact the financial stability and actuarial viability of PBGC. A second section discusses externalities that may contribute to suboptimal premiums and adverse selection for PBGC. A linear control model is introduced to analyze the most effective way PBGC might use its $100 million credit line with the Department of the Treasury. In addition, a model based on the economic theory of clubs develops relationships …

Strategic Alliances By Financial Services Firms, Hua Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of strategic alliances in the financial services industry is increasing; however, research focusing on strategic alliances is limited. In this dissertation, I intend to enhance the existing literature by examining the effect of strategic alliances on the value of financial services firms and the level of cooperation between partner firms involved in strategic alliances. The specific objectives of the dissertation are to examine the market reaction to strategic alliance announcements, to examine the preand post-announcement long-run abnormal stock performance and operating performance for the participants of strategic alliances, and to examine joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions after …

The Casual Link Between Stock Returns And Trading Volume: Some Evidence From An Emerging Market, Abdul Rashid

Business Review

This paper investigates the dynamic association between daily stock index returns and percentage trading volume changes. To proceed with this, linear and nonlinear Granger causality tests are applied to the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) data. The analysis covers the span of about 5 years with 1266 daily observations. The same methodology is employed for two non-overlapping sub-periods to examine the robustness of the results. Unidirectional linear Granger causality from stock returns to trading volume is observed for the entire sample period and for both the sub-periods as well. The null hypothesis of linear Granger noncausality from percentage volume changes to …

Pay And Performance: Among 100 Best U.S. Companies To Work For, Omair Mahmood Faisal

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In the 21st century, world is becoming a global village and with increased competition businesses are always looking for regions with the lowest possible production costs. Appropriate compensation of U.S. employees working for major U.S. corporations is a hotly debated topic in political circles. This research focuses on the top 100 companies designated as “the best companies to work for” by Fortune Magazine for the year 2006. Performance of these companies, as measured by their return on equity, return on assets, revenue growth and earnings growth along with their profit margin is used to determine the impact on them as …

Indiana State University Financial Report 2007, Indiana State University

Financial Reports

No abstract provided.

Selected Lid Projects In New England, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

Examples of low impact development (LID) projects in each state in New England.

Nova Southeastern University 2007-2008 Annual Report, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Abnormal Trading Volume, Stock Returns And The Momentum Effects, Ying Zheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This paper intends to study the intermediate-term momentum and long-term reversal of stock prices by investigating the informational role of unusual trading volume for winner and loser stocks. I argue that unusual trading volume has different implications for winner and loser stocks. Specifically, high trading volume for losers is driven by purchases made by informed investors; while high trade volume for winners could be driven by either information or representativeness bias or both. The arguments are tested in the paper by showing that in the short run, losers/winners with high abnormal trading volume outperform losers/winners with low abnormal trading volume; …

Real Estate Mutual Funds: A Style Analysis, Crystal Lin, Kenneth Yung

Finance Faculty Publications

We find that the characteristics of real estate related securities are different from those of the general common equities. To help investors understand better the products offered by real estate mutual funds, we develop style descriptors that are specifically created for real estate related securities. Among the universe of real estate securities, we find real estate funds tilt toward large stocks and favor growth moderately over value. Growth managers outperform value mangers in this sector by 1.51% to 2.30% per year. However, there is evidence of shifts in the investment style among the funds. Our results help investors in evaluating …

Realized Daily Variance Of S&P 500 Cash Index: A Revaluation Of Stylized Facts, Shirley Huang, Qianqiu Liu, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this paper the realized daily variance is obtained from intraday transaction prices of the S&P 500 cash index over the period from January 1993 to December 2004. When constructing realized daily variance, market microstructure noise is taken into account using a technique proposed by Zhang, Mykland and Ait-Sahalia (2005). The time series properties of realized daily variance are compared with those of variance estimates obtained from parametric GARCH and stochastic volatility models. Unconditional and dynamic properties concerning the realized daily variance are examined, the relationship between realized variance and returns is investigated, and the stylized facts concerning realized daily …

Modeling Transaction Data Of Trade Direction And Estimation Of Probability Of Informed Trading, Anthony S. Tay, Christopher Ting, Yiu Kuen Tse, Mitch Warachka

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper implements the Asymmetric AutoregressiveConditional Duration (AACD) model of Bauwens and Giot (2003) to analyzeirregularly spaced transaction data of trade direction, namely buy versus sellorders. We examine the influence of lagged transaction duration, lagged volumeand lagged trade direction on transaction duration and direction. Our resultsare applied to estimate the probability of informed trading (PIN) based on theEasley, Hvidkjaer and O’Hara (2002) framework. Unlike the Easley-Hvidkjaer-O’Hara model, which uses the daily aggregate number of buy and sellorders, the AACD model makes full use of transaction data and allows forinteractions between buy and sell orders.

Central Bank Of Nigeria Annual Report And Statement Of Accounts For The Year Ended 31st December 2006, Central Bank Of Nigeria

CBN Annual Report

This Report reviews the operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and macroeconomic developments during the fiscal year 2006 and appraises the major economic policy outcomes during the period. The Bank reported a stable foreign exchange market in 2006, with an average effective official exchange rate of N 128.65 per U.S dollar, an increase of 2.6% over 2005. The stock of external reserves, valued at US$12.30 billion, was 49.6% higher than in 2005, driven by high crude oil prices and lower debt-service burden. The reserves were equivalent to 28.4 months of import cover, exceeding the 6 months requirement under …

Choice Of Currency By East Asia Bond Issuers, David Fernandez, Simon Klassen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In discussing bond markets in Asia, academics and policymakers typically begin by noting that the Asian crisis of 1997-98 in part resulted from the underdevelopment of the region’s domestic bond markets and the resultant currency and duration mismatches. When assessing the progress made in developing these markets in the post-crisis years, academics and policymakers usually observe that, while several domestic currency government bond markets have moved ahead, corporate bond markets have lagged (Asian Development Bank (2002), Reserve Bank of Australia (2003)). The policy conclusion is therefore often drawn: to prevent another Asian crisis, Asian bond markets must be further developed.

The Growing Together Guide: A Companion Resource To The New England Environmental Finance Center/Melissa Paly Film, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

What local leader or public official wants to be faced with an SOS the “same old story” of public discord and confrontation over growth and development in one’s community? That situation has become a problem for efforts to promote smart growth. Investments are needed in the walkable, compact, traditional‐streetscape and mixed use neighborhoods and developments that are more sustainable and healthy than sprawl, for both people and the landscape. Yet attempts at such change all too often end up mired in costly public controversy and stalemate.

Understanding The Pension Reform Act(Pra) 2004, Adesina Balogun

Bullion

Pension schemes exit to provide post-retirement I benefits to employees. Pension scheme was introduced into Nigeria during the Colonial era to provide old age income and security to British citizens working in the country upon retirement. This paper discussed the conceptual framework of Pension Reform Act 2004, the dynamics of Pension Reform Act of 2004, the implications and challenges of Pension Act of 2004 as well as feasible options for future developments. The study concluded that, The roles and functions of PFAs and PFCs are Pivotal to the success of the new defined contributory scheme. It behoves on them therefore, …

Overview Of Currency Management In Nigeria., K. S. Adeyemi

Bullion

This paper seeks to highlight the issues in currency management, identify the challenges of currency management in Nigeria, and situate the currency management reforms of the Central Bank of Nigeria in proper context. The paper is structured into six sections. Following the introduction, the key dimensions of the currency management function is highlighted in section 2. Section 3 reviews the major currency episodes in Nigeria while section 4 examines the shortcomings of the existing currency arrangements. Nigeria's reform effort in currency management is discussed in Section 5 and the paper is concluded in section 6 by observing that: as inflation …

Conceptual Issues On Savings In Nigeria., A. J. Adam, A. V. Agba

Bullion

It is often held that capital accumulation is necessary and sufficient condition for growth and capital accumulation is almost synonymous with saving, hence the route to growth is then one of raising savings and smoothing consumption (Deaton, 1991). Savings is one of the key relevant macroeconomic variables in any economy. Its impact on the rate of capital accumulation, productivity and the degree of dependency of a nation on foreign capital and foreign ownership of domestic assets cannot be overemphasised. This paper reviews conceptual issues on savings behaviour in Nigeria. It also provided an analysis of the factors that may have …

The Legal Framework For Currency Management In Nigeria., Anthony Olatujoye

Bullion

This paper reviews the adequacy of the existing legal framework for Currency Management in Nigeria. The paper is structured into three parts. Part I is an introduction to the paper. The legal provisions governing currency management in Nigeria and some of the legal challenges for the CBN are highlighted and examined in part II. Part III concludes the paper: that a major legal challenge facing the CBN is the absence of specific provisions of the law criminalizing such acts as tampering, deliberate mutilation, spraying and marching of currency.

The Determinants Of Executive Compensation In The Commercial Banking Industry, David A. Romer

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the viability of two basic theories of compensation to explain executive compensation in the banking industry. The two executive compensation motivation theories are sales/sales growth maximization and profit/shareholder wealth maximization. Overall, strong support is found for both theories. This research also seeks to significantly expand, compared to previous research, the number of banks investigated. This study succeeds, with over a four-fold increase in the number of banks analyzed, including over 330 banks not previously used in the literature. This investigation is further motivated by the paucity of banking studies on compensation …

Contributory Pension Scheme: The Case Of Brazil., Mbatomon R. Ako

Bullion

The reform of the pension industry in Nigeria was necessitated by many problems confronting both the public and private sectors pension schemes. The public sector operated largely the Defined Benefit - Pay As You Go (PAYG) scheme, which depended on budgetary provisions from various tiers of governments for funding. This paper discuss the conceptual issues of Contributory pension scheme in Brazil, the structure of the pension system and the features of the pension scheme as well as some other pension reforms in Brazil. The study concluded that. the pension systems were introduced into the country by the colonial administrators. The …

Financial Sector Outcomes In Nigeria: A Quantitative Evaluation., Abeng M. Okoi

Bullion

Prior to the adoption of the economic reforms measures of the 1980's, most African economies were predominantly characterised by extensive public ownership, management and control of productive and social infrastructures and institutions. This paper discuss the trend of investments and pension schemes with its risks and challenges in Nigeria. The study however confirmed the non applicability of the financial reform theory hypothesized by McKinnon and Shaw in Nigeria 'This Paper quantitatively examine the outcomes of financial sector reforms in Nigeria with a view to validating the applicability of the Mckinnon Shaw hypothesis of financial liberalization. The impact of reforms on …

Modeling And Simulation Of Value -At -Risk In The Financial Market Area, Xiangyin Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

Value-at-Risk (VaR) is a statistical approach to measure market risk. It is widely used by banks, securities firms, commodity and energy merchants, and other trading organizations. The main focus of this research is measuring and analyzing market risk by modeling and simulation of Value-at-Risk for portfolios in the financial market area. The objectives are (1) predicting possible future loss for a financial portfolio from VaR measurement, and (2) identifying how the distributions of the risk factors affect the distribution of the portfolio. Results from (1) and (2) provide valuable information for portfolio optimization and risk management.

The model systems chosen …

Three Essays On Banking And Corporate Finance, Fang Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of three essays on banking and corporate finance. The first essay studies the relationship between interest-rate derivative usage and bank lending. Using recent data that cover a full business cycle, this paper documents a direct relationship between interest-rate derivative usage by U.S. banks and growth in their commercial and industrial (C&I) loan portfolios. This positive association holds for interest-rate options contracts, forward contracts, and futures contracts. This result is consistent with the implication of Diamond's model (1984) that predicts that a bank's use of derivatives permits better management of systematic risk exposure, thereby lowering the cost …

Is The Nigerian Curricula In Economics Relevant For The Nigerian Economy Of The 21st Century., J. A. Achilike

Bullion

The loopholes in Nigeria's educational system have created a death of capacity in the Nigerian economy. No nation can develop without qualitative education. The paper examines the relevance of the economics curricula in Nigeria's tertiary institutions in meeting the challenges of the 21st century. It highlights its problems and examines the efforts of National University Commission and Ministry of Education in meeting the challenges of economics education in Nigeria. Finally the study concludes that, the Nigerian Economics curricular is critically under developed and does not follow government economic policies, but if all the recommendations are adopted the Nigerian economics curricula …