CO-MOVEMENTS OF THE PRIME RATE,CD RATE,AND THE S&P FINANCIAL STOCK INDEX

We examine the relation among the prime lending rate, certificate of deposit rate, and the S&P Financial Stock Index using cointegration and error correction modeling techniques. We find that these three financial time series share a long-run cointegrating relation. Subsequent vector autoregressive error correction results imply that the movement of these stock prices toward eliminating disequilibrium is about 1 percent within the first month. Impulse response functions indicate that changes in the deposit rate have a larger effect on changes in the price index of financial service sector stocks than do changes in the lending rate.     

DEVELOPMENT, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE SOCIAL RATE OF DISCOUNT

This article examines the role of the discount rate in makingdecisions that will have significant implications for the environment.The authors begin by providing a rationale for discounting ingeneral and by describing the main factors that determine thediscount rate. These factors—the private and social ratesof time preference, the opportunity cost of capital, risk anduncertainty, and the interests of future generations—allhave an environmental dimension. The article goes on to examinethat dimension and to explore the connections between the choiceof the discount rate and environmental concerns, such as excessiveexploitation of natural resources, inadequate investment inconservation, and insufficient attention to the irreversibleloss of certain environmental resources. The authors conclude that, in general, environmental concernsare not best addressed by lowering the discount rate—anaction that might have both benefits and costs for the environment.A more promising course would be to incorporate a criterionof sustainability into certain aspects of decisionmaking. Howsuch a criterion could be made operational is touched upon butnot developed in this article.      

ON DERIVING THE INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN FROM THE ACCOUNTANT'S RATE OF RETURN

L.A. Gordon (J.B.F.A. Vol. 1 No, 3) claims to have derived a method for approximating the IRR using the ARR. This paper demonstrates that the key relationship in Gordon's paper is only valid if the IRR is already known and used to calculate economic depreciation. It is suggested that Gordon has merely derived a means for refining ARR, but not for deriving IRR.
Dans son article paru dam Vol. 1 No 3 de ce journal, L.A. Gordon prétend avoir introduit une méthode qui permet d'évaluer "Internal Rate of Return" au moyen de "Accountant's Rate of Return". Ce papier démontre que le rapport-clé dont Gordon nous fait part n'est vérifiable que si "Internal Rate of Return" est préablement connu et sert a calculer l'amortissement économique. On insinue ainsi que Gordon a simplement présenté un moyen de perfectionner "Accountant's Rate of Return" mais n'en a pas démontré pour autant l'évaluation de "Internal Rate of Return".
L.A. Gordon (J.B.F.A. Band 1, Nr. 3) behauptet, er habe eine Annäherungsmethode abgeleitet, womit der interne Zinsfuss von dem RO1 Kriterium berechnet werden kann. Dieser Beitrag zeright, dass das Schlüsselverhältnis in Gordons Abhandlung nur dann gültig ist wenn der interne Zinsfull schon bekannt ist und als kalkulatorischer Zinssatz für ökonomische Abschreibungsbetrage verwendet wird. Es wird behauptet, dass Gordon keine Methode für die Ableitung des internen Zinsfusses entwickelt hat, sondern nur eine für die Verbesserung des R01 Kriteriums.     

利率市场化与利率改革的具体步骤

本文从分析利率市场化对于宏观经济调控和宏观金融改革的意义着手,利用实证分析和规范分析相结合的方法,借鉴国外的金融发展理论,分析了利率市场化和金融深化的关系、利率调整和经济增长的关系、利率调整和储蓄的关系,同时结合当前的宏观经济金融形势,指出了利率市场化与国有企业改革和商业银行改革之间的互动关系.作者认为,在现阶段应稳住存款利率,在一定程度放开贷款利率,由商业银行根据中央银行确定的存款利率、自身头寸、企业资信和项目风险状况进行贷款定价;同时采取措施促使国内利率市场化的条件不断完备,以完善一块放开一块的基本思路,最终实现金融国际和金融市场化.     

INTEREST RATE PARITY AND THE BEHAVIOR OF THE BID-ASK SPREAD

We use a stochastic frontier regression model to test interest rate parity (IRP) with bid- ask spreads for the Belgian franc, the Deutschmark, and the Swiss franc. The forward markets tested have become efficient in the sense that IRP holds well. The bounds provided by IRP do not appear to be binding, however. We provide evidence that in spite of the overall goodness of fit of the model, the arbitrage margins are sometimes violated, implying possible arbitrage opportunities. The percentage bid-ask spread is consistently higher for the Belgian franc than for the Deutschmark and the Swiss franc. Spreads are increasing functions of the time to maturity and volatility. Spread-size clustering is more severe than price-level clustering and appears to be inversely related to volatility and positively related to the trading volume. We find no evidence of significant calendar-day effects on spread size.     

THE SENSITIVITY OF THE PRIME RATE TO MONEY MARKET CONDITIONS

Commercial banking's institutional setting can make one bank's profits dependent upon the pricing strategies of its rivals. In this environment, widely disseminated prime rate quotes, loan contracts with “most-favored-customer” clauses, and rule-of-thumb pricing techniques can result in prime rate outcomes that jointly maximize banks' market values. In this paper the relationship between the prime and money market rates is examined over the last decade to determine if the prime rate behaves more like a competitive money market rate than an oligopolistic price.