The expected return on equity capital is possibly the most important driving factor in asset allocation decisions. Yet, the long-term estimates we typically use are derived from U.S. data only. There are reasons to suspect, however, that these estimates of return on capital are subject to...

Recent research shows that emerging markets are distinguished by high returns and low covariances with global market factors. These are striking results, because of their immediate implications for the international investor. One key issue is whether these results may be attributed to selection...

Recent research shows that emerging markets are distinguished by high returns and low covariances with global market factors. To check whether these results can be attributed to their recent emergence, we simulate a simple, general model of global markets, with a realistic survival process. The...

This paper provides two alternative estimation and testing procedures of a representative-agent model of asset pricing which relies on a particular parametrization of non-expected-utility preferences. The first is based on maximum-likelihood estimates, supplemented with an explicit model of time...

On December 6, 1994, Orange County became the largest municipality ever to file for bankruptcy. This dramatic action was prompted by a loss of $1.64 billion on the Orange County Investment Pool that became quot;realizedquot; as the pool was liquidated. This study provides an update to the Orange...

The 1998 failure of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) is said to have nearly blown up the world's financial system. For such a near-catastrophic event, the finance profession has precious little information to draw from. By piecing together publicly available information, this paper draws...

Measures of volatility implied in option prices are widely believed to be the best available volatility forecasts. In this paper, we examine the information content and predictive power of Implied Standard Deviations (ISD's) derived from CME options on foreign currency futures. The paper finds...

This paper studies the hedging activities of 119 U.S. oil and gas producers from 1998 to 2001 and evaluates their effect on firm value. Theories of hedging based on market imperfections imply that hedging should increase the firm's market value. The oil and gas sample is ideal to test this...

This paper studies changes in the information environment brought about by Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD), which was implemented on October 23, 2000. FD now prohibits U.S. public companies from making selective, non-public disclosures to favored investment professionals. FD, however, has a...

We examine the incidence of operational losses among U.S. financial institutions using publicly reported loss data from 1980 to 2005. We show that most operational losses can be traced to a breakdown of internal control, and that firms suffering from these losses tend to be younger, more...