We develop and implement a new measure of information asymmetry among traders. Our measure is based on the intuition that informed traders are more likely than uninformed traders to generate abnormal volume in options or stock markets. We formalize this intuition theoretically and compute the...

This study examines how global risk aversion affects future real economic activity (REA). We propose a new international real business cycle (RBC) framework with a stochastic global risk aversion spillover process by extending the RBC model. Our model reflects output competition and risk...

We develop a measure of how information events impact investors' expectations of risk. The measure is broadly applicable and simple to implement. We derive it from an option-pricing model, where investors anticipate an announcement that simultaneously conveys information on the announcer's...

We develop a measure of how information events impact investors' perceptions of risk that is broadly applicable and simple to implement. We derive this measure from an option-pricing model where investors anticipate an announcement that simultaneously conveys information on the announcer's...

We show that an activist's reputation is a critical determinant of the success of their campaigns. We model reputation as target managers' belief about the activist's willingness to initiate a proxy fight. Our model indicates reputation, rather than stake size, induces managers to settle without...

Using newly-mandated disclosures, we show some fund managers retain a fraction of securities lending income by employing in-house lending agents. In a model with heterogeneous investors, we find this retention leads funds to "reach for lending fees" by overweighting high-fee stocks that...