Cross-hedging strategies between CDS spreads and option volatility during crises

This paper presents a joint analysis of the term structure of credit default swap (CDS) spreads and the implied volatility surface for five European countries from 2007 to 2012, a sample period covering both the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the European debt crisis. We analyze to which extent effective cross-hedges can be performed between the credit and equity derivatives markets during these two crises. We find that during a global crisis a breakdown of the relationship between credit risk and equity volatility may occur, jeopardizing any cross-hedging strategy, which happened during the GFC. This stands in sharp contrast to the more localized European debt crisis, during which this fundamental relationship was preserved despite turbulent market conditions for both the CDS and volatility markets.     

Fundamental disagreement

We document a novel set of facts about disagreement among professional forecasters: (1) forecasters disagree at all horizons, including the long run; (2) the term structure of disagreement is downward sloping for real output growth, relatively flat for inflation, and upward sloping for the federal funds rate; (3) disagreement is time varying at all horizons. We propose a generalized model of imperfect information that can jointly explain these facts. We further use the term structure of disagreement to show that the monetary policy rule perceived by professional forecasters features a high degree of interest-rate smoothing and time variation in the intercept.     

The differences in hotel selection among various types of travellers: A comparative analysis with a useful bounded rationality behavioural decision support model

This study aims to investigate the hotel selection differences among different types of travellers through online hotel reviews. Specifically, the study performs a detailed examination of the differences in hotel key factors, criterion importance and selection results among five types of travellers, namely, business, couples, families, friends and solo. Using a sample of 194,885 online reviews on TripAdvisor.com, this study identifies the hotel key factors and criterion importance by employing the term frequency-inverse document frequency algorithm and Word2Vec algorithm. Additionally, a bounded rationality behavioural decision support model with picture fuzzy information is proposed to address hotel selection problems for different traveller types. Our results suggest that different types of travellers present differences in hotel key factors, criterion importance and selection results. However, families and friends have similar hotel selection results. This study can serve as a reference for hotel managers in understanding traveller preferences and for tourism website optimisation.     

Signalling with official interest rates: the case of the German discount and lombard rate

A major characteristic of the operating procedure of the European Central Bank (ECB) is its reliance on standing facilities. It is intended that the official rates on those facilities also serve the function of signalling. The case of Germany, where the Bundesbank followed a similar signalling strategy, is analysed. In particular the paper investigates whether announcements of official interest rates provide information not already contained in other policy measures and whether the resulting revisions of expectations are efficient. Significant differences are found between signalling in the case of increasing and decreasing interest rates.     

Insurance Considering a New Stochastic Model for the Discount Factor

In many empirical situations (e.g.: Libor), the rate of interest will remain fixed at a certain level (random instantaneous rate i i ) for a random period of time ( t i ) until a new random rate should be considered, i i + 1 , that will remain for t i + 1 , waiting time until the next change in the rate of interest. Three models were developed using the approach cited above for random rate of interest and random waiting times between changes in the rate of interest. Using easy integral transforms (Laplace & Fourier) we will be able to calculate the moments of the probability function of the discount factor, V ( t ), and even its c.d.f. The approach will also be extended to the calculation of the expected value (net premium) and variance of a term insurance and we will get its c.d.f., something not very common in actuarial literature due to its complexity, but very useful when the law of large numbers cannot be applied and consequently use normal approximations.     

Libor Market Models versus Swap Market Models for Pricing Interest Rate Derivatives: An Empirical Analysis

We empirically compare Libor and Swap Market Models for thepricing of interest rate derivatives, using panel data on pricesof US caplets and swaptions. A Libor Market Model can directlybe calibrated to observed prices of caplets, whereas a SwapMarket Model is calibrated to a certain set of swaption prices.For both models we analyze how well they price caplets and swaptionsthat were not used for calibration. We show that the Libor MarketModel in general leads to better prediction of derivative pricesthat were not used for calibration than the Swap Market Model.Also, we find that Market Models with a declining volatilityfunction give much better pricing results than a specificationwith a constant volatility function. Finally, we find that modelsthat arechosen to exactly match certain derivative prices areoverfitted; more parsimonious models lead to better predictionsfor derivative prices that were not used for calibration. JELClassification: G12, G13, E43.     

全面减免东盟关税对中国宏观经济和产业影响的可计算一般均衡分析

Chingem模型是一个中国静态CGE模型.本文在Chingem模型的基础上,分析了2010年中国全面减免东盟原六国关税对中国宏观经济和产业的长期影响.在原模型的基础上,改进了宏观闭合条件.将原来作为剩余量处理的居民消费与居民收入联系起来,使经济增长会作用到居民消费,使模拟结果更加符合实际.研究表明全面减免对东盟的关税有利于我国经济的和谐发展;减少了经济增长对净出口的依赖;促进了进、出口商品结构的升级;促进了服务业的发展,但农业和制造业的一些部门会受到负面影响;制造业的就业会下降,服务业和农业的就业会上升.     

A Model for Studying the Effect of EMU on European Yield Curves

In January 1999, the European monetary union (EMU) was formally launched with 11 member countries. However, before May 1998 there was considerable uncertainty about who would join EMU, and whether the project would start on time. When a monetary union is formed, exchange rates between the member countries are irrevocably fixed, and yield spreads stemming from exchange-rate risk are eliminated. As a direct consequence, EMU affected the prices of long-term bonds well before 1999, but quantifying this effect can be difficult when there is uncertainty about the monetary union. We address these issues and develop a bond-pricing model which explicitly takes into account that a country may join a monetary union at a future, unspecified date. The empirical results show that a narrow EMU, consisting of Germany, France and the Benelux countries, has been priced with almost 100% probability throughout the period 1995–1998, whereas, on average, the implied probability of joining EMU has been somewhat lower for the other EU countries. However, in the period leading up to May 1998, the estimated probabilities have increased considerably for the countries that joined EMU in January 1999.     

中国房地产行业盈余管理模型的构建及实证分析

本文研究中国上市房地产企业的盈余管理行为。本文发现，传统应计制下的盈余管理模型无法较好地拟合中国房地产行业盈余管理的特征。在关注房地产行业经营和财务处理方面特殊之处的基础上，通过详细分析预售制度和会计处理的特点，建立了以预收账款作为被解释变量的预收模型。运用该模型对房地产行业的盈余管理行为进行了检验．其检验效果和拟合优度要优于改进的修正琼斯模型。经过实证检验，认为上市房地产企业利用预收账款，存在微弱的正向盈余操纵。     

An Empirical Investigation of Trade Credit Demand

This paper investigates the motivations for a firm's demand for trade credit. Demand for credit is modelled as a function of transaction costs motivations, financing motivations, operational considerations, seller compliance issues and supplier marketing, whilst controlling for the firm's business environment and for firm characteristics such as size and industry. This paper builds on previous studies by considering a wider range of factors that can affect trade credit demand holistically on a single sample. It appears that the use of trade credit is widespread, and that it is generally perceived as an important short term financing option, although the availability of trade credit is not a major influence on supplier choice. The level of a firm's trade credit demand is found to be significantly influenced by transaction costs, financing, operational issues, marketing activities by suppliers, the firm's investment in trade debtors and firm size.