One of the key variables for a bank's management is the development of the "risk-free interest rate", which is the reference for all bond and loan rates as well as an indicator for the state of the economy and therefore the bank"s future perspectives. Turning towards long-term analysis, the...

In recent years the relationship between ÎmoneyÌ and the macroeconomy has assumed prominence in the academic literature and in Central Banks circles. Although some Central Bankers have stated that they have formally abandoned the notion of using monetary aggregates as indicators of the impact...

Here artificial neural networks (ANNs) are employed for efficiency purposes. First, the main features of ANNs are presented. Then, common techniques of the efficiency literature are reviewed: parametric (deterministic and stochastic) and non-parametric (Data Envelopment Analysis [DEA] and Free...

The performance of a "capital certain" Divisia index constructed using the same components included in the Bank of England"s MSI plus national savings; a "risky" Divisia index constructed by adding bonds, shares and unit trusts to the list of assets included in the first index; and a capital...

On last yearÌs conference in Barcelona the authors presented an innovative expectation formation hypothesis. The assumption of fully rational agents is rejected and replaced by a bounded rationality approach that is modelled by means of a fuzzy rule-base. These rules as well as their components...

Investment decision-making is modeled by means of a Kohonen neural net, whose neurons represent firms as decision-makers. Thus, the network reconstructs collective decision-making by the productive system. This model focuses on the decision to invest in novel fields of activity, which requires...

The mixture of two already known soft computing technics, like Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks (NN) in Financial modeling, takes a new approach in the search for the best variables involving an Econometric model using a Neural Network. This new approach helps to recognice the importance...

Barr and Saraceno (JEDC, forthcoming) model the firm as a type of artificial neural network (ANN) which plays a repeated Cournot game. Each period, the network/firm must estimate the relationship between environmental conditions and optimal output. Among other results, the paper develops the...