Does algorithmic trading harm liquidity? Evidence from Brazil

This paper provides the first evidence of algorithmic trading (AT) reducing liquidity in the Brazilian equities market. Our results are contrary to the majority of work which finds a positive relationship between AT and liquidity. Using the adoption of a new data center for the B3 exchange as an exogenous shock, we report evidence that AT increased realized spreads in both firm fixed-effects and vector autoregression estimates for 26 stocks between 2017 and 2018 using high-frequency data. We also provide evidence that AT increases commonality in liquidity, evidencing correlated transactions between automated traders.     

Seven Fallacies Concerning Milton Friedman's “The Role of Monetary Policy”

This paper analyzes Milton Friedman's (1968a) article “The Role of Monetary Policy,” via a discussion of seven fallacies concerning the article. These fallacies are as follows: (i) “The Role of Monetary Policy” was Friedman's first public statement of the natural rate hypothesis. (ii) The Friedman–Phelps Phillips curve was already present in Samuelson and Solow's (1960) analysis. (iii) Friedman's specification of the Phillips curve was based on perfect competition and no nominal rigidities. (iv) Friedman's (1968a) account of monetary policy in the Great Depression contradicted the Monetary History’s version. (v) Friedman (1968a) stated that a monetary expansion will keep the unemployment rate and the real interest rate below their natural rates for two decades. (vi) The zero lower bound on nominal interest rates invalidates the natural rate hypothesis. (vii) Friedman's (1968a) treatment of an interest-rate peg was refuted by the rational expectations revolution. The discussion lays out the reasons why each of these seven items is a fallacy and infers key aspects of the framework underlying Friedman's (1968a) analysis.     

Death spiral PIPEs: a reconsideration of the evidence

We challenge the view that PIPEs lead to unfavourable outcomes for issuing firms. We show that structured PIPEs do not have significant negative CARs when a matched firm benchmark is used for computing CARs and when sample selection bias is taken into account. Indeed, structured PIPEs have significantly higher positive skewness, indicating superior optionality, consistent with the real option argument. We also show that the 2002 intervention by the Securities and Exchange Corporation (SEC) has led to unintended consequences, with the substitution of ‘mom and pop’ investors for hedge fund investors in the structured PIPE market.     

虚拟品牌社区顾客体验会带来其价值共创行为吗--基于手机虚拟品牌社区的实证研究

本文以顾客体验为切入点,基于价值共创理论、心理所有权理论和互惠规范理论,并运用于S-O-R理论框架,构建了虚拟品牌社区下,顾客参与价值共创行为产生的影响路径模型,通过问卷调查与实证分析得出:第一,顾客信息体验和娱乐体验越强,其参与价值共创的意愿程度越高,心理所有权部分中介了二者的促进关系;互动体验强化了社区顾客的心理所有权,并经由心理所有权的完全中介提高其参与共创意愿。第二,顾客参与共创意愿程度越高,其价值共创行为就越容易出现,社区的互惠规范正向调节了二者的关系。     

Land outsourcing and labour contracting: Labour management in China's capitalist farms

Difficulty in labour supervision has been considered to be one of the obstacles to the development of capitalist agriculture. This paper presents two distinctive labour management strategies in China's large‐scale agriculture, which contribute to the development of agrarian capitalism in China. As shown in these cases, agribusiness companies engaged in grain crop production retreat from direct labour management by outsourcing crop cultivation, while acquiring profits from upstream and downstream activities. On the other hand, capitalist producers, who are involved in the labour‐intensive and capital‐intensive crop production, tend to mobilize local elites to manage the farmworkers. Although independent labour contracting services have not emerged, a specialized group of labour contractors is being cultivated. Rural social resources are utilized in labour recruitment and supervision to minimize the labour management costs in both strategies. However, the conflicts between capital and labour are covered or replaced instead of being settled.     

Does high‐speed rail connection really promote local economy? Evidence from China’s Yangtze River Delta

High‐speed rail (HSR) has led to a transportation revolution in China. This paper uses the county‐level panel data of China’s Yangtze River Delta to investigate the effect of HSR connection on local economy. To address the issue of endogenous HSR route placement, we use a straight‐line strategy to construct potential HSR connection variables as instrumental variables of the actual HSR connection. Both the difference‐in‐differences and instrumental variable methods show that HSR connection impedes local economy, especially in peripheral regions. The impediment effect is channeled through population reallocation from peripheral to core areas and the restructuring of industries.     

纵向分离能否提高企业全要素生产率?——基于电力产业"厂网分开"的研究

中国电力行业一直延续纵向分离的改革路径，继发电环节从一体化垄断结构中分离之后，2015年新一轮的电力体制改革又提出输配售电业务分离、推进电力市场化交易的目标。不同纵向结构下，电力产业链上下游企业的博弈均衡显示纵向分离改革可提高上游发电环节的竞争性，减少效率损失。进一步基于微观发电企业数据，通过双重差分及倾向得分匹配模型考察“厂网分开”这一准自然实验的效果，研究结果显示，纵向分离改革显著提升了发电企业的效率。现阶段应继续推进输配售分离改革，通过供给侧和需求侧的互动响应使上游发电环节的效率收益纵向传递，提高消费者福利。     

恩格斯对《资本论》方法的贡献——纪念恩格斯诞辰200周年

恩格斯对待《资本论》的态度是将其看做科学作品和历史作品的统一，坚持由“科学品性”提升“历史品格”——这就是对唯物主义路径的着重阐发；恩格斯进而希望通过自己的扎实辛勤工作，全方位展示他和马克思共同的理论思维——辩证法，用以“伟大逻辑”的建构。要之，恩格斯的工作和《资本论》方法关联的线索有三：一是以《自然辩证法》研究和《资本论》商品章“工作呼应”，希图在马克思主义理论中彻底肃清“蒲鲁东主义”；二是坚持《资本论》的由“自然过程”向“历史过程”进军，对其总体方法论和理论逻辑主张——自然历史过程——进行学理性阐发，又主要归结于发生学的工作逻辑；三是恩格斯晚年的历史唯物主义思考，以耄耋之年推动“《资本论》增补”工作，进行巨大的认识推进。换言之，从广义的工作角度看，恩格斯是尝试把《资本论》当作马克思自身要完成而未能完成的“《辩证法》”（即唯物辩证法）的一个全面预演。经由恩格斯的唯物史观化的“辩证法”努力，《资本论》逐渐成为指导科学思考和进行意识形态战斗的武器，这为《资本论》“俄国化”和“中国化”打下了牢靠的基础。     

论习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的精神实质与实践要求

习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是党的十九大的灵魂和主线,是我们党迈进新时代、开启新征程、续写新篇章的政治宣言和行动指南。其精神实质集中体现在贯穿这一伟大思想始终的以人民为中心、斗争精神和知行合一。其实践要求至少应包括坚持党的全面领导,牢固树立“四个意识”“四个自信”,坚决做到“两个维护”;落实以人民为中心的发展思想,从保障和改善民生做起,坚持群众想什么、我们就干什么;将全面深化改革进行到底,坚定改革的决心和信心,掌握改革的方法等。同时,习近平总书记对北京工作也提出了一系列要求,如以建设国际一流的和谐宜居之都为战略目标;以探索构建超大城市治理体系为首要任务;以精治共治法治为切入点等等。     

Joint audits and mutual ties of audit firm networks

There has been a lively debate following the 2007 financial crisis regarding the role of joint audits. Prior research argues that joint audits may improve audit quality because of shared audit efforts. However, empirical evidence has been inconclusive. To gain insight into how Big 4 audit firm imprimaturs have become a source of legitimacy in the audit industry, this article investigates how audit networks drive the audit industry in Saudi Arabia. Based on the application of quantitative and qualitative research methods, we conclude that the Big 4 audit firms have strong mutual ties, but ties with other local and international audit firms are weak. We also find the oligopolistic nature of the Big 4 audit firms and international audit firms. Specifically, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC, and PKF are controlling over 68% of the audit market. Interviews with accounting professionals suggest that several benefits of joint audits exist, but certain additional costs are also implicated. Our findings are particularly relevant for regulators and local and international policymakers in rethinking and evaluating the appropriateness of either the mandatory or voluntary nature of joint audits in developing countries.