Forum Selection in International Business Contracts: Home Bias Portfolio Puzzle and Managerial Moral Hazard

We provide an economic analysis of forum selection in international business contracts. International business contracts or multi-state transactions within federally structured countries might be subject to more than one sovereign adjudication system. In case of conflict between the transacting parties, the appropriate tribunal must be identified. We examine the question of business firms' optimal choice of the forums to adjudicate future business disputes. We extend the investment model approach to litigation by applying a portfolio theory type analysis. We show that firms that prefer higher expected income and lower income volatility are better off diversifying the forums under which they litigate business disputes. This stands in contrast to real-world business practice that consistently shows a clear preference to selecting the home court and legal system to settle international business disputes. In a fraction of the cases, both parties gain by selecting a certain forum, because of specialization for example, and it becomes optimal to ignore diversification. In most cases, however, the relevant factors that affect forum selection are zero sum and priced ex ante, court bias, for example. Once priced, there is no incentive to disregard diversification. We hypothesize that, in addition to specialization, factors such as managerial moral hazard explain the real-world behavior of firms: managers are less likely to be blamed, ex post, for choosing the home court. We suggest that, as international barriers decline and international trade grows, firms will diversify the forums in which they adjudicate international business disputes.     

An Empirical Re-Examination of the Cross-Section of Expected Returns: UK Evidence

This paper is a study of the Fama and French (1992) analysis in the UK context. Consistent with their findings, our results do not support a positive relationship between beta and average monthly returns. We find that book-to-market equity and market leverage are consistently significant in explaining UK average returns. Contrary to the Fama-French evidence, size has an insignificant effect on average returns. A puzzling negative beta-returns relationship is found in some monthly regressions,and results based on annual data reveal a reversal of betas for the smallest-size portfolios. Some possible explanations are offered for these findings.     

Seasonality in Fund Performance: An Examination of the Portfolio Holdings and Trades of Investment Managers

Abstract:  This study examines the extent to which seasonal variation arises across calendar months in the performance of active Australian equity managers. While it is well documented that there is seasonality in equity market returns, it is unknown whether calendar month variation in managed fund performance exists. Employing a unique database of monthly stock holdings, we find evidence consistent with systematic variation in the risk-adjusted performance of active investment managers over the calendar year. Specifically, we find fund performance is higher in the months when corporate earnings are announced. We also document that the performance of fund managers is lower in the months preceding the tax year-end. Finally, we report evidence that investment manager performance is greater than normal in December, possibly due to both window dressing and the Christmas holiday effect. These findings have important implications for investors attempting to exploit anomalies in fund returns by timing their entry and exit points from active equity funds.     

我国证券投资基金的积极资产组合管理能力研究

本文以19支开放式基金和23支封闭式基金为研究样本,通过改进PCM模型,设计适用于非有效市场或弱有效市场的指标S,来考察我国证券投资基金在2005年1月1日至2007年6月30日这段研究区间内的积极资产组合管理能力,并对开放式基金和封闭式基金的积极资产组合管理能力进行比较分析.研究发现,开放式基金和封闭式基金均有较强的积极资产组合管理能力;封闭式基金的积极资产组合管理能力整体要高于开放式基金,特别是在上涨和震荡行情中;同时,市场走势的波动也会对基金的积极资产组合管理能力产生一定的影响.     

我国证券投资基金的积极资产组合管理能力研究

本文以19支开放式基金和23支封闭式基金为研究样本,通过改进PCM模型,设计适用于非有效市场或弱有效市场的指标S,来考察我国证券投资基金在2005年1月1日至2007年6月30日这段研究区间内的积极资产组合管理能力,并对开放式基金和封闭式基金的积极资产组合管理能力进行比较分析。研究发现,开放式基金和封闭式基金均有较强的积极资产组合管理能力;封闭式基金的积极资产组合管理能力整体要高于开放式基金,特别是在上涨和震荡行情中;同时,市场走势的波动也会对基金的积极资产组合管理能力产生一定的影响。     

Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets Under Adverse Selection and Yaari's Dual Theory of Risk

Under Yaari's dual theory of risk, we determine the equilibrium separating contracts for high and low risks in a competitive insurance market, in which risks are defined only by their expected losses, that is, a high risk is a risk that has a greater expected loss than a low risk. Also, we determine the pooling equilibrium contract when insurers are assumed non-myopic. Expected utility theory generally predicts that optimal insurance indemnity payments are nonlinear functions of the underlying loss due to the nonlinearity of agents' utility functions. Under Yaari's dual theory, we show that under mild technical conditions the indemnity payment is a piecewise linear function of the loss, a common property of insurance coverages.     

REITs风险收益特征及其资产配置作用

REITs具有“长期收益率高于股票、波动性低于股票”的风险／收益特征，更为重要的是REITs与股票、债券的相关系数低。机构投资者的传统组合中通常只包括债券、股票类证券，加AREITs可使组合优化，即组合有效边界向左上方移动，意味着在相同风险水平下，增加REITs后的组合可获得更高收益，或是为取得相同收益水平，增加REITs后的组合只承担更低风险。     

完善我国放贷人法律规制的路径选择

放贷人作为民间借贷的重要业务主体,以法律形式对其规制将使民间借贷的合法性得以确定,对解决中小企业融资困境与发展农村经济有着极其重要的意义。本文主要采用比较和规范分析的研究方法,通过国外（地区）放贷人的相关立法经验与特点的研习,并在此基础上分析我国放贷人立法之不足,最终从市场准入、经营机制、监管框架与借款人利益保护等方面提出完善我国放贷人法律规制的路径和制度。     

绩效审计过程中的目标选择与实现

本文以审计署开展的某农业发展项目的绩效审计为例,总结了绩效审计目标选择和实现中应注意的事项与容易产生的误区,认为绩效审计目标选择的宗旨是确定最大梗阻纠正率的问题,提出了审计人员在绩效审计中应从战略角度出发,以效率性目标为主线,用管理思维收集数据等建议。     

深市买卖价差逆向选择成分的估算与分析

本文以深市150家上市公司为样本，估算买卖价差逆向选择成分，研究逆向选择成分与公司特征之间的关系，并探讨其日内变化模式。研究发现信息不对称对深市买卖价差的贡献度为39％。公司规模越大，其股票的逆向选择成分越小；逆向选择成分随着交易量水平的上升而降低；高价股的逆向选择成分比低价股低。总体而言，逆向选择成分在早市呈现“倒U”型，在午市呈现“L”型。逆向选择成分与公司特征之问的关系及逆向选择成分的日内变动模式的实证分析结果，符合信息不对称与公司特征之问的逻辑关系及信息不对称的日内变动模式。