Firms’ performance under different bankruptcy systems: a Europe–USA empirical analysis

This study empirically analyses the effect that the bankruptcy law has on firms’ performance based on its financial situation. To do this, we considered the different types of efficiency and their influence on firms’ value. The study was carried out for Germany, Spain, the United States, France and the United Kingdom. We applied System‐GMM estimation to dynamic panel data. The main results show that under creditor‐oriented systems, there is a decrease in the value of both financially distressed firms and those filing for bankruptcy.     

Corporate social performance, financial performance and institutional ownership in Canadian firms

This study examines the relationship of corporate social performance (CSP) to financial performance (FP) and institutional ownership. We perform our empirical analyses on a large-sample of publicly held Canadian firms and use a novel independent measure of CSP. Based on tests utilizing four years of panel data, we found no significant relationship between a composite measure of firms’ CSP and FP. However, we found significant relationships between individual measures of firms’ CSP regarding environmental and international activities and FP. Our findings indicate a significant relationship between firms’ composite CSP measure and the number of institutions investing in firms’ stock. In addition, we found significant relationships between firms’ CSP ratings regarding their international activities and product quality and the number of institutions investing in firms’ stock. These findings, while subject to the limitations inherent in the use of specific CSP measures, provide mixed support for the business case for CSP.     

金融改革协调推进论——评盛松成等著《金融改革协调推进论》

盛松成等著《金融改革协调推进论》对我国利率、汇率改革和资本账户开放进行了系统阐述。该书也是对我国近几十年来金融改革开放的理论总结,对于我国仍在进行中的金融改革开放,有较强的指导意义。当前,我国正进一步推进各项金融改革,面对的情况及其复杂。加之全球经济进入长期萧条,中国经济进入新常态,这种复杂情况使中国的金融改革增添了一些不确定性。本书对金融改革所作的探讨,无疑有助于推进我国金融改革的理论建设,从而有助于改革的顺利推进。     

Does the financial analysts' usage of non-financial information influence the analysts' forecast accuracy? Some evidence from the Belgian sell-side financial analyst

This paper examines whether the use of non-financial information by sell-side financial analysts influences the accuracy of analysts’ forecasts. The research findings, based on a survey of Belgian financial analysts, suggest that financial analysts who use more forward-looking information and more internal-structure information offer more accurate forecasts. Furthermore, the listed Belgian firms examined in this study have improved their non-financial information reporting over time. However, neither the frequency nor the quantity of non-financial information mentioned by financial analysts in their reports appears to have increased over time.     

Value relevance of proportionate consolidation versus the equity method: Evidence from Hong Kong

Whether proportionate consolidation (PC) or the equity method (EM) provides more informative financial statements is a controversial issue. This study uses data from listed companies in Hong Kong to investigate the value relevance of the EM compared with PC during 2005–2008 when the local word-for-word equivalent HKAS 31 offered the same options. The results of this study provide evidence that PC does not offer higher value relevance than the EM. PC’s horizontal aggregation of a portion of the operations, assets and liabilities of the jointly controlled entities with those of the venturer is less informative to investors than the EM’s vertical aggregation.     

当前中国金融体系的潜在风险分析

尽管中国金融体系没有受到2008年金融海啸的重创,中国的金融市场也没有出现金融危机,但是当前中国金融体系仍然存在许多潜在风险。中国金融体系风险的特征成熟市场不同,主要表现为其不成熟性、不开放性、政府对金融市场主导性。无论是国内的银行体系还是证券市场都是如此。但是,由于国内银行体系在金融体系中的绝对地位,中国金融体系的风险主要表现在银行体系,表现为对国内银行体系过度使用及房地产泡沫吹大。因此,尽快地调整当前过度住房优惠信贷政策,是防止国内房地产泡沫破灭的关键。本文还对国内证券市场的风险及人民币升值的风险作了具体分析。     

美国对银行业综合经营的立法规制及其启示

自十九世纪以来,受国内外经济、金融环境等复杂因素影响,美国在银行业综合经营问题上,立法制度几经变迁,最终定型为现行的金融控股公司模式。美国的银行可以依法有限度地介入不动产、股票投资、证券投资、经纪、承销等领域,在资产证券化和信托等领域则有着更大的经营权。历史上,美国国会对银行控股公司和金融控股公司架构下的综合经营可能产生的反竞争后果长期保持了高度警惕,并针对银行业综合经营作出了明确的规范与限制。本文通过分析美国对银行业综合经营立法和监管的发展演变,得出以下启示:竞争、反竞争与风险防控一直是银行业综合经营立法的核心考量;适时立法,及时回应或指引银行业综合经营的集团化发展;根据立法现状,渐进发展具有自身特色的银行监管体系。     

汇率制度、资本流动与金融危机:理论和实证分析——东亚金融危机视角

20世纪90年代,几乎所有发生金融危机的国家当时都实行固定或钉住汇率制度。东亚金融危机爆发前,东亚各经济体大多实行钉住美元的相对固定汇率制,大量国际资本流入,本币严重高估,经常项目巨额逆差,宏观经济严重失衡。在汇率贬值的预期下,国际投机资本对东亚经济体货币发动攻击,大量资本流出,受攻击的经济体外汇储备耗尽,最终导致实际钉住美元的固定汇率制崩溃,金融危机爆发,蔓延成危及东亚乃至世界的金融危机。东亚金融危机的事实表明,金融危机、资本流动和汇率制度之间存在着密切关系。     

Quadratic Hawkes processes for financial prices

We introduce and establish the main properties of QHawkes (‘Quadratic’ Hawkes) models. QHawkes models generalize the Hawkes price models introduced in Bacry and Muzy [Quant. Finance, 2014, 14(7), 1147–1166], by allowing feedback effects in the jump intensity that are linear and quadratic in past returns. Our model exhibits two main properties that we believe are crucial in the modelling and the understanding of the volatility process: first, the model is time-reversal asymmetric, similar to financial markets whose time evolution has a preferred direction. Second, it generates a multiplicative, fat-tailed volatility process, that we characterize in detail in the case of exponentially decaying kernels, and which is linked to Pearson diffusions in the continuous limit. Several other interesting properties of QHawkes processes are discussed, in particular the fact that they can generate long memory without necessarily being at the critical point. A non-parametric fit of the QHawkes model on NYSE stock data shows that the off-diagonal component of the quadratic kernel indeed has a structure that standard Hawkes models fail to reproduce. We provide numerical simulations of our calibrated QHawkes model which is indeed seen to reproduce, with only a small amount of quadratic non-linearity, the correct magnitude of fat-tails and time reversal asymmetry seen in empirical time series.     

Sales force automation systems: An analysis of factors underpinning the sophistication of deployed systems in the UK financial services industry

This study investigates organizational and strategic context variables that are linked to the sophistication of sales force automation systems in UK financial services firms. We find that increasing sophistication in SFA deployment, evaluated as a count of the number of types of results of sales campaigns that are measured, is driven directly by the information orientation of the host firm. We also find that the “sophistication” of deployed systems is, in fact, limited — the information held on the systems cannot underpin the strategic goals of the sales/marketing managers. We theorise that adoption of SFA systems is driven by managerial imperatives and that these have resulted in sales force resistance — shown by the paucity of information held on adopted SFA systems.