The influence of debt management on the term-structure of interest rates

Summary This article focuses onthe influence of debt management on the term-structure of interest rates. Four theories are discussed which try to explain the factors influencing the term-structure. It proved that the four theories could be distinguished according to three aspects which have been investigated by means of analysis of variance and of the estiamtion of two reduced form equations with Dutch data during the period 1950 through 1973. It could be concluded that the liquidity preference theory and to a smaller extent the preferred habitat theory fitted the data relatively well. From this it followed that the influence of debt management on the term-structure of interest rates is rather small. This article is an elaboration of a paper written at the end of the author’s study at Groningen State University. He thanks Dr. S. K. Kuipers, Mr. P. W. Otter and Mr. B. S. Wilpstra, all connected with the Groningen State University, for their advice during the writing of the paper. He also thanks Mr. A. van der Veen, who took care of all the calculation which was necessary for the elaboration. He further thanks Dr. M. M. G. Fase for the comments he made on a previous version of this article. The author works at the Central Bureau of Statistics in The Hague.     

Grundgleichungen der Stereologie II

The densities of volume, surface and of integral of mean curvature and theEulerian characteristic per unit volume of a class of very general special structures are related to quantities which can be measured in specimens obtained by transmission microscopy. A correction for the overlap (Holmes effect) is developped which applies to systems of convex bodies with limited density of volume and the particles of which are randomly distributed if the thin sections have a thickness that is large in comparison with the mean caliper diameter of the particles.     

Alternate forecasts of the job content and skill requirements of the American economy in 1980

This paper analyzes the potential job content and skill requirements of the American economy in 1980 under three alternate economic futures. Detailed occupational manpower requirements are generated on the basis of a “Status Quo” economy, a “Social Welfare” economy, and a “Defense” economy in the near future. Occupational manpower requirements are then translated into a Job Family-Skill Content classification to determine how these alternate national priority choices may affect future requirements for specific jobs, skills, educational preparation, and vocational training. The results obtained indicate the job families and skill classifications most sensitive to changes in basic economic parameters, and also identify long run trends in manpower and educational requirements unaffected by shifting social priorities and patterns of federal expenditures. The implications of these findings for manpower and educational planning are briefly discussed.     

The World money supply: Concept and measurement

Zusammenfassung Die Geldversorgung der Welt: Konzept und Messung. — Der Aufsatz erarbeitet zuerst die theoretischen Grundlagen für ein Konzept der Geldversorgung der Welt und legt dann die relevanten Zahlen vor. Es wird die Ansicht vertreten, da\ das zweckm?\ige Konzept der Welt-Geldversorgung von dem Wechselkurssystem abh?ngt. Bei einem System flexibler Wechselkurse mit exogenem Geldangebot sollte ein geeignetes Me\konzept gleitende Gewichte auf der Basis der Volkseinkommen benutzen, um das Welt-Geldangebot zu errechnen. Bei festen Wechselkursen und endogenem Geldangebot sind stattdessen gleitende Gewichte auf der Basis der Geldmengen am besten geeignet. In der Arbeit werden die neuen Zeitreihen des Welt-Geldangebots für 1958–1975, für W?hrungsreserven und für Geld im engeren und im weiteren Sinne berechnet. Au\erdem werden Zeitreihen für Industriel?nder, entwickelte und weniger entwickelte L?nder vorgelegt. Die beiden neuen Zeitreihen werden mit vorhandenen Reihen verglichen, bei denen die Geldmengenaggregate unter Verwendung von festen BIP-Gewichten und den jeweiligen Wechselkursen berechnet werden.

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Résumé L’offre d’argent mondiale: Le concept et le mesurage. —Au premier lieu cet article dérive un fondement théorique pour le concept de l’offre d’argent mondiale et puis présente les données essentielles. Hous arguons que le concept approprié de l’ofire d’argent mondiale est dépendant du système de taux de change. Sous les conditions d’un système de taux de change flexible avec des offres d’argent exogènes un système de poids approprié utilise des poids mouvants de revenu national pour venir à l’offre d’argent mondiale. Sous les conditions des taux des changes fixes et des offres d'argent endogènes les poids mouvants de stock d’argent sont appropriés d'autre part. L’article calcule les nouvelles séries de l’offre d’argent mondiale dérivées pour la période 1958–1975 pour l’argent de reserve, l’argent en sens étroit et l’argent en sens vaste. Nous présentons aussi des séries pour les pays industriels, développés et développants. Nous faisons des comparaisons entre les deux nouvelles séries et les séries existantes en utilisant des poids fixes de PIB et des taux des changes courants pour venir aux agrégats mondiaux.

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Resumen La oferta mundial de dineroxoncepto y medición. —El présente Artículo dériva en primer lugar una fundación teórica para el concepto de la oferta mundial de dinero y en seguida presenta los datos relevantes. Se argumenta que el concepto apropiado para la oferta mundial de dinero dépende del sistema cambiario. Bajo un sistema cambiario flexible con oferta de dinero exógena, el sistema de ponderaciones apropiado utiliza ponderaciones móviles para el ingreso nacional para llegar a una oferta de dinero mundial. Con tipos de cambio fijos y ofertas de dinero endógenas, el sistema adecuado consiste, en cambio en la utilización de ponderaciones móviles para el stock de dinero. En el artículo se estiman las nuevas series de oferta de dinero mundial para moneda de reserva, moneda limitada y moneda amplia derivadas del periodo 1958–1975. Se presentan además series para países industriales, desarrollados y en desarrollo. Se hacen comparaciones entre las series nuevas y las series existentes utilizando ponderaciones fijas para el PIB y las tasas de cambio corrientes para llegar a los agregados mundiales.

     

On the process of risk reduction through diversification

This paper examines the celebrated empirical study of J.L. Evans and S.H. Archer on the relationship between risk reduction and the size of a portfolio. By specifying a suitable return generation model, this widely supported empirical result is shown to be a statistical consequence of their methodology. The mathematical structure of their methodology is presented together with some fresh empirical results on this relationship. Finally the question as to whether a larger number of assets are required in order to achieve the same level of diversification for high beta securities is examined based on a sample of U.K. securities. The results of the tests would not appear to be in support of such a proposition.