Disclosure of Private Information and Reduction of Uncertainty: Environmental Liabilities in the Chemical Industry

We investigate the potential uncertainty-reducing role of accounting information in the context of contingent Superfund liability valuation. We first develop theoretical arguments for the way reduction of uncertainty regarding these contingent liabilities is expected to affect security prices. Empirical proxies are developed for two types of uncertainty surrounding contingent Superfund liabilities: site uncertainty and allocation uncertainty. In a valuation framework, we then investigate whether financial statement disclosures and accruals reduce uncertainty and thereby affect security valuation. Specifically, we analyze the interaction of private information contained in firm disclosures and accruals with inherent uncertainty surrounding contingent Superfund liabilities. Results suggest that in a regulatory environment allowing substantial reporting discretion, firm-provided financial statement information affects valuation of contingent Superfund liabilities by reducing uncertainty. Further, we find that information revealed through accruals versus disclosures is differentially effective at reducing site and allocation uncertainty.     

Implementation of Four Models for Outstanding Liabilities in Winbugs: A Discussion of a Paper by Ntzoufras and Dellaportas

Abstract

Ntzoufras and Dellaportas (2002) described four models for outstanding claim amounts of the “reported but not settled” variety. Two of the models incorporated claim-counts data in addition to the claim amounts themselves in order to add a hierarchical stage in the usual log-normal and state-space models. The purpose of this discussion is to describe how the models presented in Ntzoufras and Dellaportas may be implemented using WinBUGS. The use of WinBUGS to implement the Bayesian analysis of a number of other actuarial models was considered by Scollnik (2001).     

Incorporating Collateral Value Uncertainty in Loss Given Default Estimates and Loan-to-value Ratios

We present a model of risky debt in which collateral value is correlated with the possibility of default. The model is then used to study the expected loss given default, primarily as a function of collateral. The results obtained could prove useful for estimating losses given default in many popular models of credit risk which assume them constant. We also examine the problem of determining sufficient collateral to secure a loan to a desired extent. In addition to bank practitioners, regulators might find our analysis useful in reviewing banks’ lending standards relative to current collateral values. In particular, the current proposals for The New (Basel) Capital Accord involve options for the use of banks’ own loss given default estimates which might benefit from the analysis in this paper.     

Modelling long-term investment returns via Bayesian infinite mixture time series models

This paper introduces the class of Bayesian infinite mixture time series models first proposed in Lau & So (2004) for modelling long-term investment returns. It is a flexible class of time series models and provides a flexible way to incorporate full information contained in all autoregressive components with various orders by utilizing the idea of Bayesian averaging or mixing. We adopt a Bayesian sampling scheme based on a weighted Chinese restaurant process for generating partitions of investment returns to estimate the Bayesian infinite mixture time series models. Instead of using the point estimates, as in the classical or non-Bayesian approach, the estimation in this paper is performed by the full Bayesian approach, utilizing the idea of Bayesian averaging to incorporate all information contained in the posterior distributions of the random parameters. This provides a natural way to incorporate model risk or uncertainty. The proposed models can also be used to perform clustering of investment returns and detect outliers of returns. We employ the monthly data from the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 (TSE 300) indices to illustrate the implementation of our models and compare the simulated results from the estimated models with the empirical characteristics of the TSE 300 data. We apply the Bayesian predictive distribution of the logarithmic returns obtained by the Bayesian averaging or mixing to evaluate the quantile-based and conditional tail expectation risk measures for segregated fund contracts via stochastic simulation. We compare the risk measures evaluated from our models with those from some well-known and important models in the literature, and highlight some features that can be obtained from our models.     

Modelling household finances: A Bayesian approach to a multivariate two-part model

We contribute to the empirical literature on household finances by introducing a Bayesian multivariate two-part model, which has been developed to further our understanding of household finances. Our flexible approach allows for the potential interdependence between the holding of assets and liabilities at the household level and also encompasses a two-part process to allow for differences in the influences on asset or liability holding and on the respective amounts held. Furthermore, the framework is dynamic in order to allow for persistence in household finances over time. Our findings endorse the joint modelling approach and provide evidence supporting the importance of dynamics. In addition, we find that certain independent variables exert different influences on the binary and continuous parts of the model thereby highlighting the flexibility of our framework and revealing a detailed picture of the nature of household finances.     

资本市场的竞争与责任

近年来，关于国内民营企业海外成功上市的消息不断传来。在继香港创业板市场成为内地民企的主要海外上市地之后，全球各大洲的证交所，如北美的纳斯达克、欧洲的伦敦证券交易所、亚洲近邻的东京证券交易所、新加坡证券交易所及韩国证券交易所也纷至沓来，甚至连大洋洲遥远而陌生的澳大利亚证交所也不甘落后，开始于去年在我国第四届高交会上亮相，以图在中国丰富的上市资源中分得一杯羹。     

论央行货币管理和短期公共债务 管理、票据债务管理之间的协调

由于汇率制度的刚性和人民币升值的压力,中央银行必须通过买进国债或发行中央银行票据冲销货币供给的增加,因此协调央行货币管理和公共债务管理、票据债务管理就是一项重要的任务。本文主要考察怎样协调央行的货币调控和财政部的公共债务管理、央行票据债务之间的关系,以促进宏观调控健康有效地运行。     

Valuation of Participating Life Insurance Liabilities

Surrender and paid-up states are incorporated in the valuation of guaranteed benefits and payments of a level premium paying life insurance policy.

We present different valuation methods and examine to what extent they avoid capitalizing and releasing future loadings which are associated with the payment of future premiums.

We demonstrate how to avoid capital being required in the future to cover valuation strains. The paid-up benefit valuation method is being extended so that it does not require the premium basis to be on the safe-side of the valuation basis. We obtain a unification and integration of the level premium and paid-up valuation principles.     

The Priority Structure of Corporate Liabilities

Most discussions of corporate capital structure effectively assume that all debt is the same. Yet debt differs by maturity, covenant restrictions, conversion rights, call provisions, and priority. Here, we examine priority structure across a sample of 4995 COMPUSTAT industrial firms from 1981 to 1991. We analyze the variation in the use of capital leases, secured debt, ordinary debt, subordinated debt, and preferred stock both as a fraction of the firm's market value and as a fraction of total fixed claims. Our evidence provides consistent support for contracting cost hypotheses, mixed support for tax hypotheses, and little support for the signaling hypothesis.     

Market Value of Liabilities Mortality Risk

Abstract

Market values of the invested assets are frequently published. For most insurance liabilities, there are no published market values and, therefore, these have to be constructed. This construction can be based on a best estimate and a price for the risks in the liabilities. This paper presents a model explaining how the best estimate and the price of mortality risk can be constructed. Several methods to describe the risks are already known. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method to determine the mortality risk in a practical way.     

The Environmental Liabilities of a Bankruptcy Estate

The conflict between the bankruptcy creditors and the environmental responsibilities of a bankruptcy estate is discussed globally. The creditors' receivables are usually included in the protection of property rights regulated by Constitution. On the other hand, one can ask whether the bankruptcy estate is breaking the law as an operator by refusing to abolish the harmful environmental pollution. The bankruptcy estate is deemed to be an operator when it has the legal and factual possibility of taking the necessary environmental actions. Accordingly, the costs of the environmental measures taken by authorities instead of the bankruptcy estate must be paid with a super priority from the assets of the bankruptcy estate. Instead, the question concerning the priority status of private environmental damages is a political matter. The argumentation presented in the article may contribute new legislation concerning the environmental liabilities of bankruptcy estates. Copyright © 2017 INSOL International and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

上市公司负债融资的公司治理效应分析——考虑环境因素

负债对公司治理发生作用是受一定的环境条件制约的,是依赖于一定环境的.本文在考虑环境因素的情况下,以中国上市公司为研究对象,对负债融资的公司治理效应进行实证分析.通过实证分析证明,我国上市公司负债融资的公司治理效应是弱化或恶化的,并且无论环境如何都是如此,负债融资对公司绩效的负面作用与环境因素无关.     

经济法责任特征新论

经济法责任在形式上表现为由若干法律责任元素遵循行政责任在先、民事责任居中、刑事责任在后,市场主体责任在先、主管机关责任在后这一基本规律形成的链条,体现着经济法先规制市场失灵,再控制政府失灵这一事实逻辑和经济法产生与发展的轨迹.经济法责任链有长有短,链条中所包括的责任元素有多有少,这取决于经济违法行为给社会造成危害的可能性与严重程度.在实质上,经济法责任链是经济违法行为外部性在法律责任上的体现,是社会责任本位对经济法的内在要求,体现了经济法的价值目标--社会整体经济效率.     

基于贝叶斯SV模型的通货膨胀水平与不确定性关系研究

针对我国通货膨胀水平与不确定性的时变性特征,分别建立了随机波动均值模型和非对称随机波动均值模型,在MCMC稳态模拟的框架下研究了我国通货膨胀水平与不确定性的动态关系。研究结果表明:我国通货膨胀不确定性中具有明显的持续性特征,并且通胀水平中虽然不存在与金融资产价格运动类似的杠杆效应,但是正向冲击增加了经济行为主体对未来不确定性的预期,由此将导致明显的"示范效应"和"追涨效应";特别是风险溢出系数的贝叶斯估计为正,反映了通胀不确定性对通胀水平的正向影响作用,说明我国目前的货币政策框架中含有相机抉择的成分因素。     

The Recognition and Timing of Deferred Tax Liabilities

Abstract:   This paper examines the characteristics of firms that account for deferred tax liabilities related to government investment grants under an extended adoption timing period. Not only the recognition but also the timing decision is associated with changes in future performance and changes in the debt structure. Recognisers outperform non‐recognisers in the future, while early recognition is related to post recognition performance but only for those firms that currently perform well. Changes in the balance sheet structure are also related to both decisions. Firms with recent increases in the debt level tend to postpone recognition, while currently well‐performing firms that increase their future debt level are less likely to recognise deferred taxes.     

Two Paradigms for The Market Value of Liabilities

Abstract

Asset/liability management (ALM) theory and practices of insurers have matured and developed from early applications to guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) to all annuity and insurance products today. An important and logical next step of inquiry is the definition of, and calculation procedures for, the market value of an insurance liability. Because all ALM strategies have as their goal the management of some value of assets in relation to some value of liabilities, this inquiry will provide at last a canonical basis for ALM: the management of relative market values.

To set the stage for this exploration, the theory and application of pricing in a complete market are reviewed, as are the practical limitations of this theory in the real, and far from complete, financial markets. The notion of an ad hoc pricing model is developed, and examples are reviewed and critiqued. These models, though imperfect compared with pricing in a complete market, bridge the gap between pricing theory and practice.

The current state of the liabilities market is also discussed, and this market is seen to naturally split into a “long” and a “short” submarket. Of particular interest is the theoretical possibility of these markets becoming broad-based, deep and active, and the conclusions are relevant to the issue of long/short price equalization.

Two paradigms are then explored for defining and subsequently calculating an insurance liability market value. A “paradigm” is a generalized model or framework for accomplishing the task at hand. Each paradigm reflects observable market trading activity, however infrequent, and each is based on methods of valuation consistent with finance-theoretic approaches that are routinely used for the market valuation of assets.

In addition, each paradigm allows for a sequence of ad hoc valuation methodologies, which differ in the extent to which various risks are explicitly modeled versus judgmentally reflected in a risk spread. These paradigms are discussed and contrasted, and arguments made for the potential evolution of the respective values if a “liability” market began trading actively. Practical constraints on the realization of this evolution are also noted.

The last section of this paper discusses a host of considerations related to the application of option-pricing theory to insurance company liabilities.