OPTIMAL BOND CALL POLICIES UNDER TRANSACTIONS COSTS

In this paper I analyze the effects of refunding transactions costs on the firm's optimal call policy. Refunding transactions costs cause the firm to delay calling a bond when its market value first reaches the call price. This effect causes the price path of a callable bond to be a locally concave function of the interest rate, reaching a maximum price above the call price. Comparative static results show that the magnitude of the premium above the call price is an increasing function of transactions costs. An empirical test on a sample of nonconvertible bonds supports the model's transactions costs prediction.     

THE COSTS OF RAISING CAPITAL

We report the average costs of raising external debt and equity capital for U.S. corporations from 1990 to 1994. For initial public offerings (IPOs) of equity, the direct costs average 11.0 percent of the proceeds. For seasoned equity offerings (SEOs), the direct costs average 7.1 percent. For convertible bonds, the direct costs average 3.8 percent. For straight debt issues, the direct costs average 2.2 percent, although they are strongly related to the credit rating of the issue. All classes of securities exhibit economies of scale, although they are less pronounced for straight debt issues. IPOs also incur a substantial indirect cost due to short-run underpricing. Most large equity offers include an international tranche, although debt issues do not.     

世界银行：怎样跟上世界脚步

“我很荣幸就任世界银行行长。我就任之际正值全球经济处于关键时刻,也是世界银行作为一个机构的决定性时刻。我今后五年的一项重要责任将是确保世行的独特优势与过渡转型中的世界保持一致。”7月1日,韩裔美籍医学专家金墉接替卸任的前行长罗伯特·佐利克,成为世界银行的第12任行长。就任第一天,金墉发表的这一声明成为世界银行向世界的一种表态。     

THE GEOMETRY OF ASSET ADJUSTMENT WITH ADJUSTMENT COSTS

This paper provides a geometric analysis of asset adjustment behavior in response to changes in expected return and wealth. The analysis permits discussion of the role of different adjustment cost and risk attitude assumptions within a unified framework. It is shown that changes in expected return generally induce portfolio revision only if the marginal rate of substitution between assets is less than their relative marginal costs of adjustment. Wealth disturbances may induce sequential, rather than simultaneous, asset adjustment if marginal adjustment costs are constant or decreasing and the investor is risk neutral.     

THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF AGROFORESTRY TO FARMERS

Deforestation, growing scarcity of tree products, and environmentaldegradation have created serious problems for rural land usein many developing countries. Agroforestry, a system in whichwoody perennials are grown on the same land as agriculturalcrops or livestock, has been increasingly enlisted in the campaignto meet these threats to the rural economy. Case studies of twenty-one agroforestry projects in six CentralAmerican and two Caribbean countries formed the empricial basisfor the study described in this article. A focal point of analysiswas the profitability of agroforestry for farmers as a crucialincentive to adoption. The findings indicate that many agroforestry practices are profitableunder a broad range of conditions and are therefore likely tobe widely applicable. Successful projects have worked with localcommunities, responding to local needs and preferences and offeringfarmers a broad basket of species and systems from which tochoose. Demonstration plots and the use of paratechnicians havebeen low-cost and effective means of technology transfer, andapplied research has been important in identifying techniquesand practices suited to the region. Other findings have identifiedgovernment regulation of tree harvesting and insecurity of tenure—thoughnot lack of title in itself—as disincentives to adoption.      

THE COSTS OF EQUITY ISSUES SINCE RULE 415: A CLOSER LOOK

In this paper I re-examine the effect of shelf registration (SEC Rule 415) on the underwriter fees of firms issuing equity. The data indicate that lower fees cannot be obtained by typical firms using the shelf procedure. Rather, previously documented evidence of lower underwriter spreads for shelf issues appears to be due to a selection bias in the firms choosing shelf registration. These firms enjoy a comparative cost advantage over other firms regardless of the registration procedure used.     

A TEST OF THE EASTERBROOK HYPOTHESIS REGARDING DIVIDEND PAYMENTS AND AGENCY COSTS

Easterbrook (1984) argues that dividend payments may be an ambiguous signal unless the market can distinguish growing firms from disinvesting firms. Shares of growing firms that announce both financing and dividend increases are predicted to rise more in value than shares of firms announcing a dividend increase alone. We examine the relation between prior financing activity and the market response to initial dividends and find evidence consistent with the Easterbrook agency cost model.     

THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF SOIL CONSERVATION: THE FARMERS' VIEWPOINT

Most countries in Central America and the Caribbean depend heavilyon agriculture; efforts to sustain and improve the sector'sproductivity are therefore crucial to the region's economicdevelopment and to the welfare of its people. Land degradationis thought to pose a severe threat to the sustainability ofagricultural production. Yet despite long-standing concern aboutthis threat and dramatic claims of environmental damage, surprisinglylittle empirical analysis has been done on the causes and severityof land degradation problems in the region and on how best totackle them. Meanwhile, many of the conservation programs designedto address the problems have fallen short of expectations. Oftenfarmers have not adopted the recommended conservation practicesor have abandoned them once the project ended. The research presented in this article attempts to bridge theempirical gap, using cost-benefit analysis to investigate thenature and severity of the soil degradation problem and to assessthe cost-effectiveness of proposed solutions. Because soil degradationproblems tend to be site-specific, the analysis is rooted incase studies, and because conservation programs stand or fallon the participation of farmers, the study's main focus is onthe profitability of the measures and the deterrents to theiradoption from the farmers' point of view.      

渐进改革中金融抑制政策的效率损失

在中国渐进式改革进程中,政府依托国有商业银行的信用垄断地位,推行了存款利率管制、差别贷款利率、高准备金制度及信贷干预等广泛的金融抑制政策.这一政策是政府在传统的隐性税收机制解体、公有经济部门面临资本形成萎缩挑战时的必然选择,国家因之获得了庞大的金融租金及货币发行收益,为弥补公共部门赤字提供了宝贵的资金来源,具有突出的财政支持效应.金融抑制政策降低了技术落后部门投资的机会成本,既妨碍技术先进部门的资本形成,又影响社会资金的部门再配置.文中最后建立了一个两部门资金配置模型,对金融抑制政策的效率损失作了进一步说明.