Firm valuation, abnormal earnings, and mutual funds flow

We examine the valuation effects of overall demand for corporate equities combined with the influence of abnormal earnings and unexpected funds flow. Our results indicate that the expected and unexpected net new total flow of funds into all stock mutual funds do not by themselves have a meaningful effect on firm equity valuation. However, we find the combination of unexpected funds flow and realized abnormal earnings have significant and important valuation effects. Importantly, the valuation impact is greatest for those firms with high earnings growth potential that also operate in an environment characterized by high information asymmetry.

Productivity and convergence in India: A state-level analysis

Total factor productivity plays an important role in the growth of the Indian economy. Using state-level data from 1993 to 2005 that were recently made available, we find widespread regional variation in productivity changes. In the years immediately following economic liberalization, productivity growth improved technical efficiency; however, in subsequent years, productivity growth was propelled by technological progress. We find a tendency toward convergence with regard to productivity growth among states; however, the states that were technically efficient when the economic reforms were instituted remained innovative in later years.     

The J‐Curve: Evidence from Fiji*

This article provides new evidence on both long run and short‐run determinants of trade balance for Fiji and investigates evidence of J‐curve adjustment behaviour in the aftermath of a devaluation. We adopt a partial reduced form model that models the real trade balance directly as a function of the real exchange rate and real domestic and foreign incomes. Cointegration analysis is based on a recently developed autoregressive distributed lag approach—shown to provide robust results in finite samples. The long run elasticities are also estimated using a dynamic ordinary least squares approach and the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FM‐OLS) approach. Amongst our key results we find that there is a long‐run relationship between trade balance and its determinants. There is evidence of the J‐curve pattern; growth in domestic income affects Fiji’s trade balance adversely while foreign income improves it.     

Do Remittances Induce Inflation? Fresh Evidence from Developing Countries

The goal of this article is to examine the determinants of inflation in both the short run and the long run for 54 developing countries using a panel data set covering the 1995–2004 period. Apart from the commonly used economic determinants of inflation, we model the impact of remittances and institutional variables on inflation. Using the Arellano and Bond panel dynamic estimator and the Arellano and Bover and the Blundell and Bond system generalized method of moments estimator, we find evidence that in developing countries remittances generate inflation. The effect of remittances on inflation is more pronounced in the long run. Moreover, we find that openness, debt, current account deficits, the agricultural sector, and the short‐term U.S. interest rate have a positive effect on inflation. We also find that improvements in democracy reduce inflation.     

Analysing the roadblocks of circular economy adoption in the automobile sector: Reducing waste and environmental perspectives

The automobile industry is one of the most rapidly growing sectors in our society. The increase in demand for vehicles drives the growth of the automobile sector worldwide. Fabrication of vehicles consumes an enormous amount of water, energy and resources, thereby increasing carbon emissions. Nonbiodegradable and manufacturing waste after the end of life usage results in a significant contribution to incineration, landfills, air acidification and water eutrophication. The adoption of circular economy (CE) initiatives can play a significant role in dealing with increasing waste and environmental pollution. The main goal of CE is to recycle and reuse materials to reduce waste and also to minimise environmental impacts. This article strongly supports the adoption of CE in the Indian automobile industry. For the successful adoption of CE in the Indian automobile sector, first, it is important to analyse roadblocks to the adoption. Twenty potential roadblocks towards the adoption of CE have been identified from a literature review and in consultation with experts in the field. To capture the vagueness of the data and to carry out a robust analysis, a Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method with Fuzzy theory is employed. The results reveal that roadblock ‘lacking ability to deliver high-quality remanufactured products’ is ranked first among all considered roadblocks. This study will help the Indian automobile industry, decision makers, research practitioners and government officials develop effective strategies for adopting CE in Indian automobile companies. A sensitivity analysis has been conducted to validate the stability of results.     

Estimating exchange rate responsiveness to shocks

The goal of this paper is to examine the importance of permanent and transitory shocks using a more efficient trend-cycle decomposition of the real exchange rate series. Our main contribution is that in measuring the impact of shocks, we not only impose common trend restrictions but also common cycle restrictions. We later confirm, through a post sample forecasting exercise, the efficiency gains from imposing common cycle restrictions. Our results indicate that permanent shocks are responsible for the bulk of the real exchange rate variations for Japan, Italy, Germany, France, and the UK vis-à-vis the US dollar over short horizons. For Canada, however, transitory shocks are dominant over the short horizon. In sum, while for Japan, France, and Italy, around 15% of the variation in real exchange rate is due to transitory shocks, for Canada, Germany and the UK, over 25% of the variations over the short horizon are due to transitory shocks. Thus, we claim that the role of transitory shocks should not be ignored.     

Contracts payments for ecosystem services: the case of bio-pospecting

We examine the economics of royalties in bioprospecting contracts between a pharmaceutical and genetic resource supplier (local), with an eye to understanding the relative advantages of indexing royalty payments to gross revenue or net revenue. We show a risk-averse firm facing only production or only cost risks will index royalties to net revenue. When facing both types of risk, the choice of royalty type depends on the relative magnitudes of the production and cost risk. In each case, the risk-averse firm chooses the royalty type that shifts as much risk as possible to the local. When the local is risk neutral, the pharmaceutical's and local's preferences are compatible. If the local is risk averse and there is only one type of risk, it will prefer a gross revenue royalty, and shift as much risk as possible to the firm: here the local and firm preferences are compatible only if the firm is risk-neutral, Lastly, we show if the firm sets the terms of the contract, and both agents are risk averse, the firm will not likely volunteer to implement the socially optimal royalty arrangement as it prefers to shift as much risk to the local, who now also prefers a more certain return. This last outcome is at the heart of the benefit sharing discussion and suggests if risk sharing and equity are a concern in benefit sharing, then the choice of royalty type can be an important part of negotiations between pharmaceuticals and locals for the phytochemical from nature for new drug discovery.     

DETERMINANTS OF DEMAND FOR FIJI'S EXPORTS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Fiji is no exceptin to the rule that exports are an important source of growth and development. In this light, it is important to know the determinants of exports. However, there is no empirical study on Fiji's export demand. This paper uses the modern econometric techniques—in particular, the autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration—to investigate whether the standard export demand variables, viz., trading partner income, export price, and competitor price, have a long‐run cointegration relationship with Fiji's real exports for the period 1970 to 1999. In addition, the long‐run results are also estimated by using the dynamic ordinary least squares and the fully modified ordinary least squares. The empirical results indicate the existence of a cointegration relationship among the variables. The long‐run foreign income, own‐price, and cross‐price elasticities are found to be 0.7 to 0.8, −1.3 to −1.5, and 2.1 to 2.2, respectively.