This introduces the symposium on financial economics. JEL Classification Codes: G01, G02, G11, G12, G18, G21, G23, G28

abstract this study uses annual data over the period 2005-2014 and the panel vecm approach to examine financial inclusion and monetary policy effectiveness in africa. the study shows that financial inclusion and monetary policy effectiveness are linked by a set of long-run relationships. policy reaction to the positive financial inclusion shock is not significant. policy reaction to the positiv...

Although dealership government and equity securities have, on the surface, similar market structures, the author demonstrates that some subtle differences exist between them that are likely to significantly affect the way market-makers trade, and as such have an impact on the liquidity that they provide. The author reviews some of the concepts recently introduced in the literature, examining mu...

Although the 1940 Act restricts interfund lending within a mutual fund family, families can apply for regulatory exemptions to participate in interfund lending. We find that heterogeneity in portfolio liquidity and investor flows across funds, funds’ investment restrictions, and governance mechanisms influence the fund family’s decision to apply for interfund lending. We document several costs ...

This paper analyzes the pros and cons of both the integrated and the specialized approaches to financial supervision. The theoretical arguments are discussed considering some recent experiences around the world and having the Latin American and the Caribbean context as a frame. Based on the analysis of the efficacy and the efficiency of each approach to fulfill the main objectives of financial ...

For most of the postwar period, Europe’s capital markets remained largely closed to international capital flows. This paper explores the costs of this policy. Using the familiar event-study methodology, we examine the extent to which restrictions of current and capital account convertibility affected stock returns. We find that the delayed introduction of full currency convertibility increased ...

This paper examines the market’s reaction to news of corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) by Japanese bidders during the 1990s. Domestic versus global bids and pro-M&A legislation are considered as determinants of bidders’ abnormal returns. The results show that bidders for domestic targets earn significant abnormal returns after the institutions of pro-M&A legislation in Japan. These findi...

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the trading behavior and the impact of new investors on the bubble surrounding the Baosteel call warrant, the first derivative traded in China after a nine-year suspension. First, we find that the new investors initiated the bubble. Second, echoing common wisdom, we empirically show that the continuous entries of new investors sustained the bubble. T...

The Basel 2 Accord requires regulatory capital to cover stress tests, yet no coherent and objective framework for stress testing portfolios exists. We propose a new methodology for stress testing in the context of market risk models that can incorporate both volatility clustering and heavy tails. Empirical results compare the performance of eight risk models with four possible conditional and u...

Separation between CEO and Chairman of the Board is typically viewed as evidence of good corporate governance. Surprisingly, the literature has failed so far to uncover any significant relation between CEO/Chairman duality and firm performance. By distinguishing between periods with and without CEO turnover, we empirically identify two offsetting effects: the correlation between duality and per...