This article deals with the problem of optimal allocation of capital to corporate bonds in fixed income portfolios when there is the possibility of correlated defaults. Using a multivariate normal Copula function for the joint default probabilities we show that retaining the first few moments of...

First passage models, where corporate assets undergo correlated random walks and a company defaults if its assets fall below a threshold provide an attractive framework for modeling the default process. Typical one year default correlations are small, i.e., of order a few percent, but...

The instability of historical risk factor correlations renders their use in estimating portfolio risk extremely questionable. In periods of market stress correlations of risk factors have a tendency to quickly go well beyond estimated values. For instance, in times of severe market stress, one...

We discuss the Taylor rule near low inflation and interest rates. Using an additional option-like term in the Federal Reserve’s loss function (i.e., the ‘‘deflation put’’) we extend the classic Taylor rule to one with an asymmetric response that is more accommodative when the inflation...

We discuss the Taylor rule near low inflation and interest rates. Using an additional option-like term in the Federal Reserve's loss function (i.e., the "deflation put") we extend the classic Taylor rule to one with an asymmetric response that is more accommodative when the inflation rate is...