Pairs trading strategies in a cointegration framework: back-tested on CFD and optimized by profit factor

Statistical arbitrage is based on pairs trading of mean-reverting returns. We used cointegration approach and ECM-DCC-GARCH to construct 98 pairs of 152 stocks of 3 currencies. Stocks trading is done by Contract for Difference (CFD), a financial derivative product which facilitates short selling and provides a leverage up to 25 times. To measure the performance of a leveraged strategy, we introduced the profit factor which is the annualized return rate per unit risk. And the historical risk is measured by maximum drawdown. We compared three main strategies: percentage, standard deviation of cointegration long-term residuals and Bollinger Bands (dynamic standard deviation), with and without double confirmation of short-term standard deviation modelled by ECM-DCC-GARCH. Each of the three main strategies is optimized by two optimizers: absolute profit and profit factor. The optimization period goes from 2012–01-01 to 2014–12-31, and validation period is from 2015–01-01 to 2016–06-01. Our results showed that the USD Bollinger Bands strategy without double confirmation and optimized by profit factor, outperformed other strategies and provided the highest annualized return rate per unit risk; 32% of our sample pairs ended up in loss, and 94% of which are explained by a cointegration break during the testing period.     

Profit shifting and tax-rate uncertainty

Using firm-level data for 1,084 parent firms in 24 countries and for 9,497 subsidiaries in 54 countries, we show that tax-motivated profit shifting is larger among subsidiaries in countries that have stable corporate tax rates over time. Our findings further suggest that firms move away from transfer pricing and toward intragroup debt shifting that has lower adjustment costs. Our results are robust to several identification methods and respecifications, and they highlight the important role of tax-rate uncertainty in the profit-shifting decision while pointing to an adjustment away from more costly transfer pricing and toward debt shifting.     

Wealth transfer through private placements: Evidence from China

We examine private issuance of public equity (PIPE) in China, and our results suggest that PIPE investors benefit from the price manipulation before and after issuance. These investors tend to cash out after lockup expiration and make large profits. We also find evidence that the trading of PIPE investors after lockup expiration is informed. Tests about the abnormal returns in the 3 years after lockup expiration suggest that at least part of the benefits PIPE investors receive come from wealth transfer from outside investors. Overall, PIPE issuers in China seem to use an opaque mechanism to compensate PIPE investors.     

How to measure competition in an economy in transition

This paper attempts to find a robust method of measuring competition when firms' operational activities are subject to frictions. The first part theoretically tests the indicative quality of two competition measures, the price‐cost margin (PCM) and the profit elasticity, in a model of monopolistic competition. The second part studies the empirical performance of the indices for a panel of Ukrainian manufacturing firms. This study offers a new approach to measuring profit elasticity that relies on structural estimation of a production function. The estimation methodology retrieves a productivity index that is adjusted to imperfect competition. The proposed method of measuring profit elasticity is found to be robust to frictions, but the PCM and traditional profit elasticity are biased, especially when the intensity of competition is low. Empirical findings show that competition exhibits a significantly positive correlation with aggregate productivity performance, while its impact on firm productivity is nonlinear.     

The Greek economic crisis: causes and alternative policies

The Greek economic crisis is primarily structural and the result of an international economic impasse that developed in 2007, with devastating implications for the struggling peripheral economies of Europe. This article suggests that falling profitability led to the stagnation of profits, which in turn discouraged new investment, decreased production and increased unemployment. The resulting recessionary economic environment, in conjunction with the mounting public debt and the austerity policies imposed on the Greek economy by the so-called ‘troika’ of creditors in 2010, has decimated the Greek economy even further, causing one of the worst economic crises since the Second World War. The article also provides some broad guidelines for an alternative economic policy.     

后金融危机时代会计计量

此次百年不遇的金融危机充分暴露了现行会计公允价值计量的弊端。要使会计计量准确合理、会计信息可靠有效，必须解决资产、负债价值计量、会计计量模式选择、净资产与所有者权益关系、负债价值变动对利润的影响以及会计等式形成等问题．     

商业银行客户——利润双导向营销模式研究

客户—利润双导向营销模式需要商业银行根据顾客的需求不断开发新的产品和新的服务,发掘新的利润空间。本文以国内A银行采取的客户—利润双导向营销模式为例进行研究,分析结果表明,这种营销模式能够提高客户满意度和竞争力。同时,商业银行还需要以客户为中心实现全行营销,加强现代科技手段的营销,有针对性地对客户提供个性化服务。     

实时财务报告:需求、困境与实现

信息化下的实时财务报告系统作为未来财务会计发展的一个方向必将给传统的财务会计领域带来重大的变革。实现实时财务报告系统,要以完备的信息化保障为前提,同时树立起成本效益理念和重要性理念。     

基于“交易圈”的异常利润汇出分析方法

异常利润汇出的方式主要有通过构造利润分配决议、虚构利润等方式实现超额利润汇出和利用跨部门监管薄弱环节违规汇出。对异常利润汇出排查的传统方式主要基于服务贸易外汇监管系统的定期预警指标,成本高企且效率低下。人民银行济南分行在分析异常的利润汇出行为特点及资金流动路径的基础上,提出了将指向性强的筛查指标和"交易圈"分析法相结合的创新性核查方法,有效提升了核查线索的精准度及发现异常违规行为效率。