A Comparison of Two Quadratic Approaches to Hedging in Incomplete Markets

This paper provides comparative theoretical and numerical results on risks, values, and hedging strategies for local risk-minimization versus mean-variance hedging in a class of stochastic volatility models. We explain the theory for both hedging approaches in a general framework, specialize to a Markovian situation, and analyze in detail variants of the well-known Heston (1993) and Stein and Stein (1991) stochastic volatility models. Numerical results are obtained mainly by PDE and simulation methods. In addition, we take special care to check that all of our examples do satisfy the conditions required by the general theory.     

Outsourcing and role stress: An empirical study of hotel spa managers

Hotel owners and managers are increasingly outsourcing their spas to specialist firms that oversee the spa's operations and personnel. In such spas the assume the role of boundary spanners as they are responsible for overseeing the operational relationship between the hotel and spa companies. In this role, they are responsible for trying to satisfy the hotel and spa companies’ often contradictory expectations while also often adhering to two sets of operating guidelines. As a result, they may experience different levels of role conflict and role ambiguity than spa managers who oversee spas managed by the hotel. The results of a questionnaire completed by 166 hotel spa managers from spas managed by hotels and those managed by third parties found greater levels of these role stressors in managers of outsourced hotel spas. Based on these findings, research suggestions and managerial implications are discussed.     

EXISTENCE OF A NONNEGATIVE EQUILIBRIUM PRICE VECTOR IN THE MEAN-VARIANCE CAPITAL MARKET

We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a nonnegative equilibrium price vector under which the total demand and supply of each asset balances in the standard mean-variance capital market. Also, we give an explicit formula for such a price vector. This formula shows that the price of assets is an increasing function of , the weighted average of the requested rate of return of individual investors, which tends to infinity as approaches the expected rate of return on the market portfolio. Further, we construct a macroeconomic index which gives information about the soundness of the capital market.     

Combining the Effects of OLS and Spread on Futures Hedging: Evidence from the Taiwan Stock Index

Abstract:

This study proposes a dynamic hedge ratio, the combined ordinary least squares spread (COLSS), which combines the hedge ratio of ordinary least squares and the value of spread. Using this dynamic ratio for hedging with futures contracts, one can replace spot risk with spread risk. The COLSS captures not only the long-run equilibrium between spot and futures returns, but also the short-run deviation from equilibrium. The spread is forecast by one-period lagged stock market factors and high-order moments that are estimated by an options model. In the in-sample and out-of-sample tests, the COLSS strategy achieves significant risk reduction and outperforms the alternative models by a large utility improvement.     

Descriptive statistics of large data sets by scatter plots, an exploratory approach

In the analysis of large tables of M variables on N observations one is interested in the relations between the variables and it is usual to inspect the M(M-1)/2 scatter plots of N points. Clearly, the scatter plot approach relies on visual inspection and is to be preferred in so far as applicable to detect simple relations, namely when M is small. Other approaches are needed for large values of M .
We consider that only the relatively few scatter plots that present a 'structure' are of interest for an exploratory analysis and, by 'structure', we mean a domain of specially high local density in the plot. Based on this concept, we propose a method constructed around two steps: the selection of the possibly interesting pairs of variables and the validation of the corresponding scatter plots. The selection of the pairs results from an algorithm based on a binary partitioning tree. The validation of the corresponding scatter plots enables the production of only those where a structure is found the recognition of a structure is derived from a statistic based on the length of the Minimum Spanning Tree constructed on the N points of the candidate scatter plot.
For illustration, we report on an industrial application where the method is routinely applied for exploratory purposes.     

基于余弦相似度(CS)和最小生成树(MST)的基金市场复杂网络研究

以中国基金市场中123家基金公司持有的投资组合为样本,综合运用余弦相似度(CS)和最小生成树(MST)方法,考量基金市场复杂网络。结果显示：各家基金公司持有股票组合的相似程度比持有债券组合的相似程度更高,表明他们持有的债券组合较之股票组合更加多元化,基金公司持有的股票相对集中于市值大、成长性高的公司。同时,全部资产投资组合、股票投资组合和债券投资组合等三类基金MST网络的节点度均服从幂律分布,表明大多数基金公司以少数强影响力基金公司为中心聚集起来,彼此之间具有较强的业务关联。此种网络结构特征可能导致市场风险向基金聚集团体集中,其抵御系统性风险的能力偏弱,也不利于满足投资者的理财多元化需求。     

Schmoozers,not snoozers: Busting the Kevin and Angela stereotypes in public accounting

In contrast to the well-known stereotype of the boring, unsociable accountant, today’s public accounting professionals argue that they are boundary spanners. Working at the intersection of the firm/client interface, these professionals contend that sociability is a requisite skill for routinely navigating the many interactions they have with multiple personnel at client organizations. This research aims to address this disconnect and to confront whether the public perception is warranted. Using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), we assess the sociability of 176 public accounting professionals and discover that, contrary to the stereotype, male public accountants are more sociable than males in the general population. Our analysis also demonstrates that female public accountants are no more or less sociable than females in the general population. Additional analysis shows that while male public accountants are more sociable than female public accountants, this effect is attributable to differences at lower levels of the profession and that male-female differences disappear when comparing male managers and partners to female managers and partners. Given the importance of sociability in public accounting, this research offers recruiting strategies that will help to dispel the myth of the unsociable accountant and provides training tips for enhancing sociability within the ranks.     

Globally networked: Intraorganizational boundary spanning in the global organization

Multinational corporations (MNCs) need to sense, source, and mobilize knowledge when and where it arises, whether at home, or elsewhere in the world. For this reason, MNCs benefit from employee networks of relationships that span across intraorganizational barriers, allowing for the efficient mobilization of knowledge across boundaries. Yet, which organizational members are more likely to be able to develop these boundary spanning networks? We leverage a unique data set from a large multinational corporation to empirically test a comprehensive model that captures the effect of an employee’s mandate, expertise, and behavioral orientations on her likelihood to span intraorganizational boundaries that manifest themselves in the form of hierarchies, intra-functional domains, and geographic territories. We find that the employees that are more likely to be boundary spanners are those having mandates with a global impact, high levels of expertise, and a collaborative orientation in their networking behaviors. In addition, we find that these effects are stronger for those employees that have large formal workflow networks.     

An Interpretation of SDF Based Performance Measures

This note discusses stochastic discount factor (SDF) measures of mutual fundperformance. It shows that the most common SDF performance measures can beinterpreted as Jensen's ``alphas'.