Culture,business environment and SMEs' profitability: Evidence from European Countries

This paper aims to examine whether and how, certain country-specific characteristics shape the profitability of SMEs. Using a large sample of around 40,000 firms operating in 25 EU countries over the period 2006–2014 we find that freedom from corruption, a better environment in terms of the conditions that could contribute to the ease of getting credit, and fewer government regulation related to the starting, operating, and closing a business, enhance profitability. The dimensions of national culture also play an important role. Our results show that individualism, masculinity, and long-term orientation have a positive impact on profitability, whereas power distance and uncertainty avoidance have the opposite effect. We also find that the magnitude of the impact of national culture on profitability depends on political stability and institutional quality.     

The effect of risk-taking behavior on profitability: Evidence from futures market

We explore how futures traders make a tradeoff between risk and return by examining their risk-taking in the action. By applying a novel measure to their trade-by-trade transactions to capture their tendency in risk-taking, we find a general tendency to reduce risk-taking by cutting positions when facing losses or gains, and the tendency is stronger in the case of losses. However, great variations exist among traders in the risk-taking tendency and the results for trading are opposite for profitable and unprofitable traders. For the unprofitable, more risk-taking by trading more actively leads to greater losses. This is concrete evidence for the prevailing belief in the literature that trading too much, arguably due to overconfidence, is hazardous to investor's wealth. Contrary to that belief, however, we find fresh evidence that more active trading by the profitable traders leads to greater profits, suggesting their trades are likely based on ability and skills.     

On the profitability of commercial banks: the Sri Lankan case

This study determines the factors affecting the profitability of licensed commercial banks (LCBs) in Sri Lanka, including the effect of the prolonged conflict which ended in 2009. Using an error correction model together with data for the period 2006–2014 of 10 major LCBs, the results reveal that, in the short run, capital and liquidity have a positive effect on bank profitability and default loans, interest margin (IM), operating cost, and interest rates (IRs) have a negative effect. In the long run, bank profitability is significantly impacted by default loans, IM, real GDP, inflation, IRs, capital, operating cost, and conflict. The ending of the prolonged conflict has significantly contributed to improved bank performance.     

Intricacies of competition,stability, and diversification: Evidence from dual banking economies

This paper investigates the nexus of competition and stability by introducing the interaction of diversification and competition. We use a sample of both conventional and Islamic banks from 14 dual banking economies over 2005–2016. The core finding illustrates that competition does not impact bank stability and that diversification is insignificant in the competition-stability nexus. Further, we find that concentration is beneficial for the banking stability of both types of banks. In most of our results, we found no difference in the impact of competition and diversification on the stability of conventional and Islamic banks. To put our findings in a broader context, we argue that no difference between the business models can be considered an early signal of possible convergence between the two systems.     

Does bank shareholding impact corporate innovation? Evidence from China

Corporate innovation is an engine of economic development, while bank shareholding is the phenomenon of having a bank as a shareholder. Their relationship, however, has been underexamined. We provide the first study on the direct impact of bank shareholding on corporate innovation. Using patents granted to Chinese firms from 1999 to 2013, our findings suggest that bank shareholding significantly contributes to corporate innovation. Additional analysis suggests that easing financial constraints can facilitate the positive impacts of bank shareholding on corporate innovation. We also find that bank shareholding works better when firms have effective external monitoring and when they are nonstate-owned firms with nonstate-owned banks as shareholders. We contribute to the literature by showing that (1) despite the restrictions some countries impose on bank shareholding, allowing it could be a good economic policy for promoting corporate innovation, and (2) successful corporate innovation requires proper monitoring and incentives.     

Diversification, the Resource View and Productivity: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms

The present paper presents a test ofthe resource view of diversification which focuses onthe relationship between the directions ofdiversification strategies and a measure of totalfactor productivity. The results are supportive of theresource theory in that firms which pursue verticalintegration strategies and/or operate in a set ofactivities which share similar research anddevelopment and advertising intensities reach higherproductivity levels. After having checked for the directions of diversification, the degree ofdiversification is not significantly related toproductivity. This suggests that the simple inclusionof variables controlling for the extent ofdiversification might not be sufficient in order tostudy the effects resulting from diversification strategies.     

The quality and quantity of bank intermediation and economic growth: evidence from Asia Pacific

We investigate the impact of the quantity and quality of bank intermediation on economic growth across 14 Asia-Pacific economies over 2003–2015. Measures of bank shareholder value efficiency as well as profit and cost efficiency are used as indicators of intermediation quality. We also employ measures of liquidity creation (fat and nonfat) as a proxy for the quantity of bank intermediation. Our main finding is that the quality of bank intermediation (enhanced credit allocation) is a driver of economic growth in developed Asia-Pacific economies, whereas it is the quantity of bank intermediation (capital accumulation) that positively influences growth in developing nations. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that policymakers in developed nations should concentrate their efforts on reforms that enhance bank efficiency. Second, reforms that stimulate capital accumulation should be encouraged in developing economies because this is the main channel that spurs economic growth.     

The Neural Inhibition of Learning Increases Asset Market Bubbles: Experimental Evidence

The authors tested a leading theory of bubble formation, insufficient learning, in a laboratory asset market using a drug, Naltrexone, which inhibits reinforcement learning. We found that asset price bubbles in Naltrexone sessions were larger compared with placebo sessions, averaging 60% higher in amplitude and 77% larger in the deviation from fundamental value in the final 12-period trading round. There was no difference between conditions in understanding of the trading rules, overconfidence, or confusion. Participants on Naltrexone appeared unable to determine appropriate trading strategies as prices changed. The findings indicate that specific neural mechanism of reinforcement learning is involved in the formation of asset market bubbles.     

The role of liquidity in monetary policy transmission: Evidence from Indian banks1

The role of bank liquidity in monetary policy transmission has received insufficient attention in the literature. Faced with monetary tightening, banks with more liquidity can sell off securities and protect their loan portfolios. We test this proposition using panel data for Indian banks during 2005–2020. Employing dynamic threshold panel regressions with liquid assets as the threshold variable, we show that bank lending declines with monetary policy tightening in low liquidity regimes, but not in high liquidity regimes. We also find evidence for different portfolio reallocation behaviour by banks in high versus low liquidity regimes in response to monetary policy changes.     

收入增长、劳动力外出与农村居民财产分布——基于四省农村的住户调查分析

本文在四省农村住户调查数据的基础上讨论了农村居民收入和外出行为对于家庭财产积累的影响。结果表明,农村居民的财产分布不均等程度要高于收入的不均等性,金融资产的不均等性尤其要高一些;财产不均等与收入不均等之间具有非常密切的关联性,收入不均等将转化为财产不均等。本文的结果也发现,家庭的外出决策对于财产积累,特别是金融资产的积累具有重要影响。     

Ownership structure,size, and interest income substitution by banks: An exploratory study in the Indian context

This study explored how emerging economy banks are rebalancing their interest income and non-interest income to ensure stability. We set our study in India during the period 2005–2017. Interestingly, we observe that time–series correlation of interest income growth and non-interest income growth for public sector banks as well as for private banks is on the negative side. We applied panel vector auto regression and generalised method of moments methodology. This study found that when bank interest income falls, they try to increase their non-interest income to offset their losses to a certain extent, and the trend is increasing. Public sector banks are overall substituting non-interest income for a reduction in the margin, and there is an increasing trend for this substitution. Based on the size of banks, it has been found that change in non-interest income in the subsequent year due to change in interest income in the previous year is there for large banks, whereas no such significant change has been found in case of small banks.     

Threshold effect of economic openness on bank risk-taking: Evidence from emerging markets

This paper investigates the non-linear effects of two aspects of economic openness, namely, trade openness and financial openness, on banking system stability. We use a panel of 42 emerging markets from 2000 to 2014 to test whether bank risk-taking behaviour varies with the level of openness. We find that a higher degree of trade openness promotes bank stability linearly. Conversely, the non-linear effect of financial openness on bank risk-taking is evident. When the financial system is not sufficiently open, the impact of financial openness on bank stability is insignificant. However, as the domestic financial market becomes more open, financial openness can help discipline the behaviour of banks, making them more stable. We also find evidence that these effects are transmitted through the market discipline channel. Our findings highlight the importance of strengthening the domestic regulatory framework and transparency as the economy becomes more integrated.     

Determinants of income diversification: evidence from Chinese banks

This article presents an analysis of the determinants of Chinese commercial banks’ income diversification decisions. Using a panel dataset comprising 88 Chinese domestic banks from 2003 to 2010, we find that bank diversification reflects a variety of managerial abilities: insolvency risks, cost, capital position, asset scale and ownership structure. A larger ratio of banking assets to gross domestic product and lower interest spread lead to a higher level of diversification. Moreover, national banks and regional banks have different strategic responses to the macroeconomic, and indeed, regulatory environment. Resisting shocks from the banking sector and the macro economy, and supplementing liquidity shortages from intermediation business seem to be the driving forces of national banks to operate in non-banking sectors.     

Technical efficiency, market share and profitability of manufacturing firms in Cote d'Ivoire: the technology trap

This paper investigates the sources of inefficiency of firmsin Côte d'Ivoire and examines to what extent these effectstranslate into poor performance. A large majority of firms istechnically inefficient, producing far below the maximum attainableoutput level. Major cost savings can also be realised throughenlarging the scale of activities of firms. Efficiency gainsand scale advantages translate into a better competitive positionand via their impact on market share into higher profitability.However, severe growth barriers and imperfect markets keep firmsfrom realising these gains and prevent firms from catching upin technology with respect to their larger, older and oftenforeign-owned competitors.     

Product diversification and bank risk: evidence from South Asian banking institutions

ABSTRACT

We investigate whether the product diversification activities of South Asian banking institutions have led to an increase or decrease in their solvency and profit risks. Using the data of five countries – India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – for the period 2000–2016, we analyse the effect of both income and assets diversification activities on the Z-score and SDs of ROA (Return on Assets) and ROE Return on Equity). Among income diversification activities, securities trading income has a significant positive influence on bank risk while other categories have no influence. With respect to assets diversification, non-interest-bearing assets and loans given to government were found to have a significant positive influence on bank risk, while mortgage loans and non-classified loans have opposite influences. However, the impacts of securities trading income and loans given to the government are mainly confined to private sector banks and state-owned banks, respectively. We also uncover some country-specific diversification influences on the above relationships.     

Income, income inequality, and health: Evidence from China

This paper tests using survey data from China whether individual health is associated with income and community-level income inequality. Although poor health and high inequality are key features of many developing countries, most of the earlier literature has drawn on data from developed countries in studying the association between the two. We find that self-reported health status increases with per capita income, but at a decreasing rate. Controlling for per capita income, we find an inverted-U association between self-reported health status and income inequality, which suggests that high inequality in a community poses threats to health. We also find that high inequality increases the probability of health-compromising behavior such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Most of our findings are robust to different measures of health status and income inequality. Journal of Comparative Economics 34 (4) (2006) 668–693.     

The impact of financial development,income, energy and trade on carbon emissions: Evidence from the Indian economy

This paper examines the long-run equilibrium and the existence and direction of a causal relationship between carbon emissions, financial development, economic growth, energy consumption and trade openness for India. Our main contribution to the literature on Indian studies lies in the investigation of the causes of carbon emissions by taking into account the role of financial development and using single country data. The results suggest that there is evidence on the long-run and causal relationships between carbon emissions, financial development, income, energy use and trade openness. Financial development has a long-run positive impact on carbon emissions, implying that financial development improves environmental degradation. Moreover, Granger causality test indicates a long-run unidirectional causality running from financial development to carbon emissions and energy use. The evidence suggests that financial system should take into account the environment aspect in their current operations. The results of this study may be of great importance for policy and decision-makers in order to develop energy policies for India that contribute to the curbing of carbon emissions while preserving economic growth.     

过度自信、有限参与和资产价格泡沫

当存在模型不确定性且有限市场参与内生时,过度自信的投资者和理性投资者参与股票市场的程度有着不同的行为模式。本文给出的模型分析了两种投资者在不同情况下对股票市场的参与情况,借此解释有限市场参与、超额进入和资产定价之间的关系。模型在流动性溢价、投资者结构和风险溢价的关系等方面具有明显的实证含义。模型表明,理性投资者有更大的投资区域,但是非理性投资者在其投资区域内更为激进。进而,在不同情形下,模型给出了资产均衡价格与投资者结构之间对应关系。     

股权结构、治理机制与城市银行绩效--来自山东、河南两省的调查证据

银行体系的重要地位和银行危机的频繁发生显示了加强银行公司治理的重要性 ,在我国银行体制改革的背景下 ,研究商业银行公司治理问题具有重要的现实意义。本文利用山东、河南两省 2 8家城市银行的调查样本对我国地方商业银行的股权结构、治理机制及其效果进行了实证分析。结果发现 ,虽然我国地方性银行国有和集中的股权结构特征明显 ,但大股东的国有性质并没有对银行绩效产生影响 ,同时集中型股权结构对银行绩效有明显的积极影响。银行高管人员薪酬有较明显的负激励效果。此外我们还发现 ,外部董事比例和银行规模基本没有对银行绩效产生影响 ,而且山东、河南两省城市银行在公司治理方面也不存在省际间的显著差异。     

Asset ownership and market structure in oligopoly: Further results

How does the sale of assets from a small firm to a large firm affect the equilibrium price in oligopoly? Using the ‘cross-sectional differentiation’ technique introduced by Farrell and Shapiro (Rand Journal of Economics, 1990, 21, 275–292), I show that the equilibrium price rises if the common production technology is homogeneous of degree t, 0<t1.