Beta, as measured by the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), is widely used for pricing stocks, determining the cost of capital, and gauging the extent to which markets are integrated. The CAPM model assumes that equilibrium conditions prevail. The choice of which market portfolio to use in the...

Institutional investors usually employ mean-variance analysis to determine optimal portfolio weights. Almost immediately upon implementation, however, the portfolio€ٳ weights become sub-optimal as changes in asset prices cause the portfolio to drift away from the optimal targets. In an...

Explicit mutual fund fees are typically less than 1% of the assets under management. By comparison, the typical hedge fund charges a base fee of 2% plus a performance fee equal to 20% of net profits. Thus, hedge funds appear to charge far more for even comparable performance-unless one takes...

The availability of micro pricing data has produced an empirical revolution in macroeconomics. Two events were the main culprits: First, nation statistical offices allowed economists to study the data underlying the construction of the CPI, letting our profession the chance to tackle many...

'Natural Resources: Neither Course nor Destiny' brings together a variety of analytical perspectives, ranging from econometric analyses of economic growth to historical studies of successful development experiences in countries with abundant natural resources. The evidence suggests that natural...

'Natural Resources: Neither Course nor Destiny' brings together a variety of analytical perspectives, ranging from econometric analyses of economic growth to historical studies of successful development experiences in countries with abundant natural resources. The evidence suggests that natural...

If rating agencies add no new information to markets, their actions are not a public policy concern. But as rating changes may be anticipated, testing whether ratings add value is not straightforward. This paper argues that ratings and spreads are both noisy signals of fundamentals and suggest...

El presente estudio versa sobre el establecimiento de un fondo de estabilización del precio del petróleo que mitigue el impacto del aumento en el precio internacional del crudo sobre las economías del istmo centroamericano y República Dominicana. La significativa escalada en los precios...