BOOK REVIEW

Emerging Financial Markets, by David O. Beim and Charles W. Calomiris. McGraw‐Hill/Irwin, 2001, 364 pages, price $75.00.     

An empirical analysis of the relationship between the hedge ratio and hedging horizon: A simultaneous estimation of the short‐ and long‐run hedge ratios

This article analyzes the effects of the length of hedging horizon on the optimal hedge ratio and hedging effectiveness using 9 different hedging horizons and 25 different commodities. We discuss the concept of short‐ and long‐run hedge ratios and propose a technique to simultaneously estimate them. The empirical results indicate that the short‐run hedge ratios are significantly less than 1 and increase with the length of hedging horizon. We also find that hedging effectiveness increases with the length of hedging horizon. However, the long‐run hedge ratio is found to be close to the naïve hedge ratio of unity. This implies that, if the hedging horizon is long, then the naïve hedge ratio is close to the optimum hedge ratio. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:359–386, 2004     

QUADRATIC TERM STRUCTURE MODELS FOR RISK-FREE AND DEFAULTABLE RATES

In this paper, quadratic term structure models (QTSMs) are analyzed and characterized in a general Markovian setting. The primary motivation for this work is to find a useful extension of the traditional QTSM, which is based on an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) state process, while maintaining the analytical tractability of the model. To accomplish this, the class of quadratic processes, consisting of those Markov state processes that yield QTSM, is introduced. The main result states that OU processes are the only conservative quadratic processes. In general, however, a quadratic potential can be added to allow QTSMs to model default risk. It is further shown that the exponent functions that are inherent in the definition of the quadratic property can be determined by a system of Riccati equations with a unique admissible parameter set. The implications of these results for modeling the term structure of risk-free and defaultable rates are discussed.     

在虚拟的刀光剑影中游走

阴霾的天气容易让人想不开，城市的纷乱，多少有些无奈。而有些人可以抛弃环境的影响，逃遁或者投入到美妙的图景中。     

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED,TAXES DRIVE THE JANUARY EFFECT

The multitude of explanations for the January effect leaves the reader confused about its primary cause(s): is it tax‐loss selling, window dressing, information, bid‐ask bounce, or a combination of these causes? The confusion arises, in part, because evidence has generally been presented in support of a particular hypothesis though the same evidence may be consistent with another hypothesis. Furthermore, prior work does not adequately control for the bid‐ask bounce. In this article we try to disentangle different explanations of the January effect and identify its primary cause. We find that tax‐related selling is the most important cause, overshadowing other explanations.     

东北亚区域经济合作与中小企业

随着区域经济一体化的迅速发展，中小企业在东北亚区域经济合作中正发挥着日益重要的作用。     

亚洲货币一体化的前景分析

从国际货币体系改革的大趋势——区域性货币一体化入手，分析亚洲货币一体化的现状，认为创造亚洲的共同货币——亚元是亚洲货币一体化的理想选择。并阐述亚洲货币一体化仍然要大致经历欧洲货币一体化所走过的几个阶段。分析中国在东亚货币一体化进程中的地位和作用。     

影响银行卡追透的相关法律问题及其对策

我国银行卡立法相对滞后，致使实务中的一些问题无法解决，将影响银行卡产业的健康发展。本文分析了影响银行卡追透的七个法律问题，并提出了五个对策建议，以期对促进银行卡产业健康发展能有所裨益。     

中国金融业分业经营与混业经营研究

实践表明，混业经营有助于增强金融机构的国际竞争力，促进一国经济的发展，目前已成为全球金融业发展的趋势。就我国而言，从长远的角度来看，混业经营是金融业的必然选择，但短期内尚不具备过渡的条件。由于我国已加入WTO，所以目前应抓住机遇，采取相应的对策，为将来混业经营作好准备。     

China＇s Regional Disparity and Its Policy Responses

The fruits of China＇s rapid economic development over the 3 decades have not been distributed fairly across different regions. Using data from a sample of 815 Chinese listed firrns during 1998-2004, our error-correction investment model showes evidence of different financial constraints on firms＇ investment in different regions. We argue that China＇s regional development policies have contributed greatly to the regional inequalities. To control the rising inequality, China has shifted its focus from the coast to the interior regions. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the government to direct the economy, as market mechanisms now have afar greater influence on the economy than the government does. The people-centered approach of the current leadership has meant that substantial attention has been placed on regional development disparities in an attempt to build a ＂harmonious society. ＂ China needs further extensive reforms if all the measures for reducing regional disparity are to be effective.