In “Using Collateral to Secure Loans,” Yaron Leitner asks: Why is collateral used to secure some loans, but not others? And why does collateral potentially involve more risk? He considers these questions, looking at some of the explanations for using collateral, focusing on its benefits and...

In "A Lifeline for the Weakest Link? Financial Contagion and Network Design," Yaron Leitner describes how contagion can occur, explains why the threat of contagion is not necessarily a bad thing, and shows why some firms may choose to bail out other firms that are facing financial problems.

Is there a link between the stock market and business investment? Empirical evidence indicates that there is. A firm tends to invest more when its stock price increases, and it tends to invest less when the price falls. In “Stock Prices and Business Investment,” Yaron Leitner discusses...

Venture capital financing relies heavily on convertible securities; the most common type is convertible preferred stock. Venture capital contracts also specify control rights that describe who gets to make the firm's decisions. The recent literature has provided some theoretical explanations for...

Although innovative contracts are important for economic growth, when firms face uncertainty as to whether contracts will be enforced, they may choose not to innovate. Legal uncertainty can arise if a judge interprets the terms of a contract in a way that is antithetical to the intentions of the...

Regulators collect and produce information about banks. This information helps regulators monitor the safety and soundness of the banking system, and it also helps policymakers preserve financial stability. A key issue is whether this information should be made public and, if so, to what extent....

Government bailouts during the recent financial crisis were controversial because of the burden on taxpayers and because even if taxpayers eventually get their money back, such bailouts can undermine banks’ incentives not to take excessive risk in the future. New regulatory reforms aim to...

Yaron Leitner discusses liquidity, a desirable feature of a well-functioning market. In "Liquidity and Exchanges, or Contracting with the Producers," Leitner explains how exchanges can provide liquidity. He also discusses his recent research, which explains some contractual problems that may...

In normal times, investors buy and sell financial assets because there are gains from trade. However, markets do not always function properly — they sometimes “freeze.” An example is the collapse of trading in mortgage-backed securities during the recent financial crisis. Why does trade...