BANC ONE CORPORATION: ASSET AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

[Derivatives are] simply another Wall Street-developed house of cards.
—Representative Joseph Kennedy 1
You can call it [the use of derivatives] whatever you want, but in my book it's gambling.
—Representative Henry Gonzalez, Chairman, House Banking Committee 2
Our use of derivatives is just one more step in the evolution of banking.
—John B. McCoy, Chairman and CEO, Banc One Corporation     

MARKET EFFICIENCY AND INVESTORS, ADJUSTMENTS TO ASSET VALUATION ERRORS

Using four selection criteria, over two test periods, the test results found the market reacts efficiently to EPS announcements of firms, Given the test results, the conclusion is drawn that no participant can achieve abnormal returns by using the information contained in quarterly EPS announcements.     

A NO-ARBITRAGE MARTINGALE ANALYSIS FOR JUMP-DIFFUSION VALUATION

This study presents a jump-diffusion valuation framework using the no-arbitrage martingale approach. Equilibrium conditions needed to support a jump-diffusion pricing standard process are derived. The results are a generalized jump-diffusion security market line and its corresponding equilibrium valuation relation that prices both jump and diffusion risk. To value options, a fundamental formula is derived that includes existing jump-diffusion option valuation formulas as special cases. 1 find Merton's (1976a) assumption of diversifiable jump risk to be consistent with no-arbitrage only when the aggregate consumption flow does not jump. Simulation shows that Merton's formula undervalues/overvalues options on hedging/cyclical assets. When the jump arrival frequency is larger, the mispricing is larger/smaller for in-the-money/out-of-the-money options.     

TIPS：美元资产的一道安全阀门

近日，美国财政部宣布将于2009年10月增发新一批通货膨胀保值债券（TIPS），从而迈出保证美元资产安全实质性的一步，这是向包括中国在内的“债主们”发送的一个积极信号。     

TOWARDS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNMENT AUDITING

This article attempts to contribute to a conceptual framework for government auditing by using agency concepts in government and public finance for the examination of underlying theoretical and practical issues. Three models of government auditing are formulated: sole monitoring, dual monitoring and commercial monitoring. The main assumptions of these constructs are examined and their operations assessed in the context of international co-operation and dialogue among government auditing institutions. Problems relating to auditing accountability, audit mandate and auditor independence are identified and discussed. Despite some differences in these areas, there is a global tendency for the government auditing function to transcend the traditional parameters of financial attestation and legislative compliance in order to espouse broader notions implicit in the various gradations of comprehensive auditing.     

VALUE-AT-RISK AND CORPORATE VALUATION

Although first used mainly by financial institutions to evaluate their trading risks, Value-at-Risk (VAR) can also be used to enhance an industrial corporation's understanding and management of its market risks. To illustrate this broader application of VAR analysis, the authors present a simple example focusing on the valuation of a closely held company. In this case, VAR is used to analyze the sensitivity of the firm's value to movements in uncertain exchange rates, commodity prices, and interest rates.     

THE IMPACT OF ASSET SECURITIZATION: A PERSPECTIVE FOR INVESTORS

A securitization transaction creates a new set of analytical challenges for both investors in the asset backed securities (ABS) and for holders of the debt and equity of the sponsor. This article argues that investors can gain insights into the risk and expected rewards of both ABS and the sponsoring corporation's securities by focusing on the excess cash flow (or residual interest) that is expected to be generated by the ABS trust. The value of this residual interest is recognized as a one-time gain by the sponsoring lender in the period the ABS transaction is closed. Because the assumptions used to calculate this gain should represent management's best estimates as to the performance of the loan pool, comprehensive analysis of the gain-on-sale calculation can provide both corporate and ABS investors with significant insight into the level of risk in the securities they own. It also offers a tool for determining whether the expected returns justify the risks.     

VALUATION AND RISK-ADJUSTED DISCOUNT RATES

There is a continuing controversy as to whether the use of a constant risk adjusted discount rate in capital budgeting decisions implies that the risk of the cash flows increases over time. This paper shows that valuation using these discount rates implies an increasing premium for risk over time but that the increasing premium is due to the net impact of the uncertainty in the cash flow; uncertainty in future market expectations of the cash flow; and changes in the market price of risk. The risk of the cash flow itself need not be increasing over time.