Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the size of the banking sectors in central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The banking sectors' ability is focused to provide financial intermediation between savers and investors in the economy. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the quantitative determinants of individual ratings of commercial banks (as conducted by Fitch Ratings). Design/methodology/approach – The ordered probit model is applied as an extension of the standard binary probit model. The model is...

Purpose – Modern portfolio theory demonstrates that a well-diversified portfolio will minimize unsystematic risk. It may be impractical to achieve a well-diversified portfolio of venture capital (VC) investments due to market imperfections, leading to the decision to specialize. The purpose of...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss two important extensions to the well-known value-at-risk (VaR) methodology, namely extreme value theory (EVT) and expected shortfall (ES). Both of these extensions address the weaknesses of VaR, in particular the methodology's tendency to...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the outcome of European Union (EU) deregulation and competition policies on the competitive conditions of the main EU banking markets. Design/methodology/approach – After a review of deregulation and competitition policies in the EU banking...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report and comment on the High Court ruling on recoverability of claimants' losses arising from unauthorised insurance activity. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines the facts surrounding the case and comments on the decision. Findings...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the market risk disclosure practices among Malaysian listed firms. Specifically, it aims to examine the level of compliance with FRS132: Financial Instruments – Disclosure and Presentation for financial periods beginning or after 2006....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Japanese bank “performance” has improved markedly since fiscal 2003 but to caution against over-optimism. Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach adopted involves using aggregate balance sheet data dating from...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed overview of the China Investment Corporation (CIC) and its structure, investment activities and possible future investments. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a case study approach and builds up a picture of sovereign...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated and critical assessment of the share reforms relevant to Chinese A-share issuers listed in the two mainland markets of Shanghai and Shenzhen. The reform programme first began in 2005 and has now spread widely across issuers in the...