Modelling sovereign credit ratings: The accuracy of models in a heterogeneous sample

The accuracy of sovereign credit ratings renewed interest toward sovereign credit ratings in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The controversy over the accuracies encouraged internal credit scoring systems to reduce reliance on sovereign credit ratings. By employing classification and regression trees (CART), multilayer perceptron (MLP), support vector machines (SVM), Bayes Net, and Naïve Bayes; we explore the prediction performance of several artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in predicting sovereign credit ratings in a heterogeneous sample. The results suggest that AI classifiers outperform the conventional statistical technique in terms of accurate prediction. According to within one notch and two notches accurate prediction measure, the prediction performances of the AI classifiers exceed 90% accuracy whereas the performance of the conventional statistical method is around 70%. The results further reveal that the prediction performance of the models declines around the threshold rating that is located between investment grade and speculative grade which is not necessarily the result of inadequacy of the models. Rather, this is potentially due to CRAs' cautious behaviour toward those countries around threshold rating which can be interpreted as the certification price of upgrading to investment grade.     

Sovereign credit ratings,growth volatility and the global financial crisis

Using monthly data from January 1996 to May 2010 for a panel of 76 developed and emerging economies and adopting an instrumental variable (IV) estimation technique by correcting for both heterogeneity and endogeneity with the generalized two-stage least squares (G2SLS, EC2SLS) procedure method suggested by Balestra and Varadharajan-Krishnakumar (1987) and Baltagi and Li (1995), this article provides empirical evidence that volatility of per capita GDP growth is reduced when there are positive changes in credit ratings; in other words when sovereign credit risk improves. To deal with potential simultaneity between sovereign credit ratings and output volatility, a system (3SLS) approach is undertaken, and our findings remain robust. By weakening the volatility dampening effects of ratings changes, it is found that the global financial crisis (GFC) has enhanced macroeconomic volatility. One of the channels via which sovereign rating changes affect growth volatility is the financial markets’ repricing of sovereign default risk that is reflected in sovereign credit default swap (CDS) spreads and its volatility.     

Credit ratings and bond spreads of the GIIPS

We examine the relationship between credit ratings and bond yield spreads of peripheral countries in the euro area (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) for the period 1995–2014. Since 2012, bond spreads of those countries have come down very fast, whereas credit ratings have hardly changed. Our results suggest that credit rating agencies have become more cautious and have changed their approach to assess credit risk of sovereigns, and that the impact of sovereign credit risk ratings on sovereign bond spreads has changed.     

Rating Cooperative and Commercial Bank Bonds: a comparative approach

Abstract ** :  The primary objective of this article is to find whether bonds issued by commercial and cooperative banks are rated similarly or not. We then compare the performance of two quantitative methods, namely seemingly unrelated regressions (SURE) and recursive partitioning algorithm (RPA), at explaining bond ratings based on the same set of quantitative indicators. Using the regression model, cooperative banks' credit risk is more sensitive to the quality and size of assets. For commercial banks, elements relative to debt more clearly stand out. In the RPA model, a subtree for the financial cooperatives is created which provides evidence of some differentiation in the rating process. Also, the RPA model outperforms the parametric method whether performance is measured by the percentage of correct classification or the size of the average rating prediction error.     

Prediction of bank financial strength ratings: The case of Turkey

Bank financial strength ratings have gained widespread popularity especially after the recent financial turmoil. Rating agencies were criticized because of their ratings and failure to predict the bankruptcy of the banks. Based on this observation, we investigate whether the forecast of the rating of bank's financial strength using publicly available data is consistent with those of the credit rating agency. We use the data of Turkish banks for this investigation. We take a country-specific approach because previous studies found that proxies used for environmental factors (political, economic, and financial risk of the country) did not have any explanatory power and it is hard to find international data for other important factors such as franchise value, concentration, and efficiency. We use two popular multivariate statistical techniques (multiple discriminant analysis and ordered logistic regression) to estimate a suitable model and we compare their performances with those of two mostly used data mining techniques (Support Vector Machine and Artificial Neural Network). Our results suggest that our predictions are consistent with those of Moody's financial strength rating in general.. The important factors in rating are found to be profitability (measured by return on equity), efficient use of resources, and funding the businesses and the households instead of the government that shows efficient placement of the funds.     

Feedback effects between credit ratings and financial markets

Credit rating agencies often make sharp adjustments in their pronouncements during times of stress in financial markets. These adjustments typically happen with a delay relative to shocks in market prices. Since prices convey information about what market participants are doing and thinking, it is likely that rating agencies take into account market prices when issuing their pronouncements.In order to understand the relationship between credit ratings and financial prices, we develop a model of debt roll-over in which rating agencies incorporate information publicly available in financial markets. We find that (1) rating agencies respond to market prices, i.e. nonfundamental price volatility can shift financing conditions from a low risk spread and high credit rating equilibrium to an equilibrium with high spread and low rating, and (2) rating agencies can anchor expectations about the equilibrium in financial markets, thus serving as an antidote to nonfundamental price volatility.     

Sovereign credit ratings in the European Union: A model-based fiscal analysis

We present a model-based measure of sovereign credit ratings derived solely from the fiscal position of a country: a forecast of its future debt liabilities, and its potential to use fiscal policy to repay these. We use this measure to calculate credit ratings for 14 European countries over the period 1995–2012. This measure identifies a European sovereign debt crisis almost two years before the official ratings of the credit rating agencies.     

主权信用评级对证券市场的影响研究述评

国际证券市场的持续动荡,使得主权信用评级的影响作用越加突现。诸多研究指出,主权信用评级调整对股票市场和债券市场都存在影响,但由于市场对信息的敏感程度不同,股票市场比债券市场的反应剧烈,而且股票市场对主权信用评级调整能作出提前响应。由于市场预期和经济周期的合力作用,市场存在着对正负评级变化的不对称反应。因此,对现有文献进行梳理和评议,一方面增进了人们对这一问题的认识和理解,另一方面也为制定风险防范政策提供了一定的参考依据。     

The brighter side of being socially responsible: CSR ratings and financial distress among Chinese state and non-state owned firms

We examine the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) quality ratings on the financial distress levels of Chinese enterprises by using the previously unexplored new China-specific Altman ‘Z_China Score’ in the context of CSR and data from 749 firms over the 2009–2014 period. First, we find that CSR quality ratings significantly reduce Chinese firms’ distress levels. Second, we find that the ability of CSR to reduce distress levels in non-state-owned Chinese firms is higher than state-owned ones. Finally, we find similar results when we divide the data into high-low CSR ratings and levels of distress. Our results are robust to potential endogeneities.     

DETERMINANTS OF SOVEREIGN BONDS RATINGS: A ROBUSTNESS ANALYSIS

Several studies have attempted to deduce the determinants of sovereign bond ratings. In this study, Extreme Bounds Analysis is applied to approximately 30 factors proposed by the literature in order to assess their robustness with a focus on the relative importance that economic and political variables receive in the shaping of the ratings. We find that policies that constrain the public sector are among the most robust. Variables such as rule of law, openness to economic flows, central bank independence, and market friendly policies are found to be more robustly correlated with the ratings than foreign reserves, fiscal deficit, sovereign bond yields, and economic growth.     

国家主权信用评级、跨国传染与股票市场回应?--基于全球48个经济体的事件研究

掌握主权信用评级变动的市场影响及其传染机制,对于投资者、国家金融安全及政府采取应对措施来说都意义重大。文章采用事件研究法,以1990-2013年全球48个经济体发生的评级事件和每日股指收益率数据为样本,实证研究了事件国评级变动对非事件国股票市场的影响及其传染渠道,结果表明：(1)评级下调会对股票市场产生显著为负的超额收益,但评级上调产生的超额收益不显著;(2)股票市场可以提前预测评级下调事件,但不能预测评级上调事件;(3)季风效应对评级调整的市场传染有一定的解释力;(4)净传染效应基本不显著,这说明评级事件的市场传染应该有经济基础,而不是由投资者心理预期这类非基本面因素造成的;(5)溢出效应可以较好地解释评级的市场传染,是评级变动影响市场及传染的主要渠道。文章的结论深化了我们对评级调整如何影响股票市场及其传染渠道的认识,也为中国防范国外主权信用评级变动风险提供了有益启示。     

The financial fragility and the crisis of the Greek government sector

The purpose of this paper is to develop Minskyan financial fragility indices for the government sector and to examine the financial structure of the Greek government before and after the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in 2009. We provide empirical evidence that clearly shows the growing financial fragility of the Greek public sector in the 2000s. We also assess the effectiveness of the implemented bailout adjustment programmes in Greece and claim that the conducted austerity measures and fiscal consolidation have not significantly improved the financial posture of the Greek government sector. We argue that the implementation of fiscal and wage austerity in an economy that lacks structural competitiveness produces prolonged recession and unemployment with adverse feedback effects on the financial fragility of the government.     

Why do people rate? Theory and evidence on online ratings

The rapid growth of online retail in the last decade has led to widespread use of consumer-generated ratings. This paper theoretically and experimentally identifies influences that drive consumers to rate products and examines how those factors can create distortions in product ratings. By manipulating payoffs and effectively “deactivating” either the buyer or seller side of an artificial laboratory market, raters' behavior is decomposed into buyer-centric and seller-centric components. The cost of providing a rating also plays a major role in influencing rating behavior, with high and low quality sellers being rated more often than those of moderate quality.     

正规金融体系改革、内部资金乘数效应与中国企业总资产增长——以1994—2011年中国上市公司数据为例

本文使用1994—2011年中国非金融类上市公司数据,分析了中国正规金融体系改革对降低企业内部资金的乘数效应进而对企业总资产增长产生的影响。本文发现不同的改革阶段对企业增长的影响不同:在金融市场化改革初期1994—2000年,金融部门的规模、效率和相对结构变化均对企业资产增长产生正向作用;2001年之后银行的规模扩张和效率提升显著地促进了企业成长,而股市对企业资产增长的作用不明显,金融体系的结构变动对企业增长的影响不大。本文的研究表明中国金融体系的顶层设计直接影响着金融与实体经济之间的关系;在中国金融发展-经济增长模式中,金融体系的规模特别是银行部门的规模扩张起了主要作用;调整金融结构、提高直接融资比重有利于进一步发挥金融体系促进企业资产增长的功能。     

Does it really pay to do better? Exploring the financial effects of changes in CSR ratings

Previous literature on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance has focused mainly on the financial implications of a firm’s level of CSR without considering the potential effects on financial performance of variations in CSR rating. We try to fill this gap by studying whether variations in a firm’s CSR rating affect systematic risk, firm value, and portfolio performance. First, our results show that an increase in firms’ CSR efforts, as reflected by an increase in their CSR ratings, significantly reduces systematic risk. Second, a positive variation in CSR ratings significantly improves firm value. Finally, from a portfolio perspective, a strategy that consists of buying stocks that have experienced a CSR ratings increase and selling stocks that have experienced a CSR ratings decrease (or remain stable) leads to lower financial performance. Taken together, our findings provide new evidence and financial implications for firms and portfolio managers.     

Emerging market sovereign bond spreads,credit ratings and global financial crisis

This paper investigates the impacts of sovereign credit ratings and global financial conditions on the evolution of EMBI Global (EMBIG) spreads for a panel of 23 developing countries by using daily data for the period between 1998 and 2012. To this end, we employ not only the conventional panel estimation procedures, but also the recent methods tackling with either cross-sectional dependence stemming from common global shocks or a potential endogeneity. Our results suggest that credit ratings along with global financial conditions re the main determinants of EMBIG spreads. The determinants of EMBIG spreads are not invariant to speculative and investment grade episodes and transitions between them. The recent global crisis changed the determinants of EMBIG spreads and led to credit ratings' impact to converge between speculative and investment grade countries.     

PIGS or Lambs? The European Sovereign Debt Crisis and the Role of Rating Agencies

This paper asks whether rating agencies played a passive role or were an active driving force during Europe??s sovereign debt crisis. We address this by estimating relationships between sovereign debt ratings and macroeconomic and structural variables. We then use these equations to decompose actual ratings into systematic and arbitrary components that are not explained by previously observed procedures of rating agencies. Finally, we check whether systematic, as well as arbitrary, parts of credit ratings affect credit spreads. We find that both do affect credit spreads, which opens the possibility that arbitrary rating downgrades trigger processes of self-fulfilling prophecies that may drive even relatively healthy countries towards default.     

Financial sector opening and financial constraints: an empirical study based on China’s experiences

ABSTRACT

The paper investigates the effect of financial sector opening on financial constraints based on the experiences in China. We firstly review the policy of China’s financial sector opening and set up exogenous policy measures. Then based on the panel data of listed firms from 2010 to 2015, we calculate four indices to measure China’s firm-level financial constraints through internal and external finance channels. We find that China’s financial sector opening alleviates financial constraints and upgrades the financing structure for China’s listed firms. Financial sector opening also eliminates ownership discrimination and promotes financing efficiency, to alleviate financial constraints of private enterprises and profitable enterprises. The mechanism of the effects of financial sector opening on financial constrain is mainly through the collateral channels and the elimination of information asymmetry.     

The role of uncertainty in the euro crisis – an application of liquidity preference theory

The world financial crisis triggered a rediscovery of the active role fiscal policy can play as a remedy in such situations. During the euro crisis, escalating funding costs in a number of southern eurozone member states and Ireland have called this strategy into question. One interpretation of the euro crisis concentrated on the public debt trends in those countries. Opposing this view, the main point of this contribution is to elaborate the link between rising interest rates on sovereign bonds in the euro crisis and a major feature of the financial crisis – a subdued degree of investor confidence after the Lehman collapse. Theoretically, this link is developed with reference to Keynes’ liquidity preference theory. The high explanatory power of measures for the degree of confidence in financial markets as well as detrimental effects of fiscal austerity on the evolution of sovereign yield spreads are demonstrated empirically by means of panel regressions and supplementary correlation analyses.     

买方抗衡势力对上游企业技术创新的影响——基于规模以上工业企业的实证分析

在考虑上游市场结构的情况下,利用2002年、2007年和2012年中国规模以上工业企业的行业面板数据,利用投入产出表中的直接消耗系数构造下游市场势力变量,通过构建计量模型从行业层面考察了买方抗衡势力对上游企业技术创新投入的影响,并讨论了该影响在不同行业的差异。所得结论如下:从整体回归结果来看,买方抗衡势力对上游企业的技术创新有促进作用;从分行业回归结果来看,买方抗衡势力对采矿业企业、轻纺制造业企业和机械电子业企业的技术创新有负向影响,对资源加工业企业的技术创新有正向影响,对公共生产服务业企业技术创新的影响不显著。