The dissertation consists of three chapters examining topics in corporate finance. In the first chapter, my co-author and I examine the efficiency gains from asset acquisitions. We propose a test that focuses specifically on whether anticipated synergies vary with a characteristic. We argue that...

Using new data on the hedge fund investments of institutional investors, this paper is the first to examine the determinants and consequences of intermediation in the hedge fund industry. Our empirical analysis reveals several findings consistent with predictions from the theoretical literature....

We examine the simultaneous management of hedge funds and funds of hedge funds. Hedge fund firms can choose to simultaneously offer a fund of hedge funds. Similarly, fund of hedge fund firms can simultaneously offer a hedge fund. We find that while superior past performance and larger size drive...

We model a hedge fund style compensation contract in which management fees, incentive fees and a high water mark (HWM) provision drive a fund manager's effort and risk choices as well as walkaway decisions by both the fund manager and the investor. We calibrate the model to observed data and use...

A rational, efficiency-based view of acquisitions imply that larger transactions generate greater gains for the acquirer and the seller. We test this prediction and find a positive relationship between acquirer abnormal returns and transaction size. This relationship holds for many classes of...

Doubts about the accuracy with which outside investors can assess a banking firm’s value motivate many government interventions in the banking market. Although the available empirical evidence is somewhat mixed, the recent financial crisis has reinforced a common assessment that banks are...

Funding risk measures the extent to which a fund can borrow money by posting collateral. Using a novel measure of funding risk based on futures margins, we are able to empirically identify the mechanism by which changes in funding risk affect the likelihood of contagion. An increase in margins...

We show that time variation in expected returns and/or partial price adjustments lead to a downward bias in previous estimators of both the spread and its components. We introduce a new approach that provides unbiased and efficient estimators of the components of the spread. We find that between...