Capital Market

The paper aims to realize a general image of the collective investment funds acting on the Romanian and European capital markets. Collective investment funds, classified in open-end funds (mutual funds or UCITS – Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) and closed-end funds (or Non UCITS) offer the investors the advantage of direct access on capital and monetary markets with less money, effort and risks. Further we have analyzed the regulations that operate the Romanian and European funds market, the size of Romanian funds market compared to other countries in the region in detailed statistical data and also the growing potential.

This paper argues that pension funds can earn attractive risk-adjusted rates of return on targeted real estate investment in underserved capital markets. Targeted investing is designed to achieve both a financial and social return. Fiduciary duty requires public sector pension funds to put financial obligations at the forefront of their decision-making. However these funds also have a vested interest in ensuring vibrant, healthy communities that in turn underpin employer contributions to the fund. We examine the California Urban Real Estate (CURE) program of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) as a model of targeted real estate investment in urban and underserved capital markets. From this case study we draw some implications for best practice in targeted investment.

This paper develops some results regarding the economic value added and real options. We use Merton's (1987) model of capital market equilibrium with incomplete information to introduce information costs in the pricing of real assets. This model allows a new definition of the cost of capital in the presence of information uncertainty. Using the methodology in Bellalah (2001, 2002) for the pricing of real options, we extend the standard models to account for shadow costs of incomplete information. JEL Classification: G12, G20, G31 Keywords: EVA; Real options; Information costs I. INTRODUCTION Over the last two decades, a body of academic research takes the methodology used in financial option pricing and applies it to real options in what is well known as real options theory. This approach recognizes the importance of flexibility in business activities. Today, options are worth more than ever because of the new realities of the actual economy: information intensity, instantaneous...

This paper evaluates the usefulness of a currency board regime based on Argentina’s experience. Argentina adopted the currency board in March 1991 to put an end to a long history of large macroeconomic imbalances and high inflation that culminated in the hyperinflation process of 1989-91. The regime has been extremely successful in restoring macroeconomic stability and ensuring low inflation. The adoption of a tight fiscal stance, and of sound polices to strengthen the financial system were critical to ensure the resilience of the economy to respond to adverse external shocks. The paper will argue that a strict exchange rate rule like the one used in Argentina can be a strong alternative to other exchange rate regimes to ensure macroeconomic stability in a globalized world with highly integrated capital markets.

This paper reviews recent developments in the management of government debt in the euro area, covering both theoretical and practical aspects. It focuses on key aspects of debt management; the objectives of debt management, its organisation, the maturity of debt, inflation-indexation, currency-denomination, the ownership of debt, and debt issuing and trading practices. Main adjustments include an increase in autonomy of

This paper is the first major and thorough study on the M&A activities in Vietnam’s emerging market economy, covering almost entirely the M&A history after the launch of Doi Moi. The surge in these activities since mid-2000s by no means incidentally coincides with the jump in FDI and FPI inflows into the nation. M&A industry in Vietnam has its socio-cultural traits that could help explain economic happenings, with anomalies and transitional characteristics, far better than even the most complete set of empirical data. Proceeds from sales of existing assets and firms have mainly flowed into the highly speculative industries of securities, banking, non-bank financials, portfolio investments and real estates. The impacts of M&A on Vietnam’s long-term prosperity are, thus, highly questionable. An observable high degree of volatility in the M&A processes would likely blow out the high ex ante expectations by many speculators, when ex post realizations finally arrive. The effect of the pa...

This study contributes to the limited established empirical research on the impact and relevance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the capital markets of emerging economies. We conducted an event study to demonstrate how the timing of CSR announcements by firms that have aligned their strategies to newly instituted social regulations in South Africa influenced stock prices. Using a unique dataset of publicly listed South African enterprises that undertook CSR initiatives during the ten year period from 1996 to 2005, we found that investor reactions to CSR announcements concluded during the late phase of institutional reforms are viewed positively by investors. Furthermore, CSR announcements of substantive monetary value result in significantly higher shareholder returns.

The capital market in which asset-backed securities are issued and traded is composed of three main categories: ABS, MBS and CDOs. We were able to examine a total number of 3,466 loans (worth €548.85 billion) of which 1,102 (worth €163.90 billion) have been classified as ABS. MBS issues represent 1,782 issues (worth €320.83 billion), and 582 are CDO issues (worth €64.12 billion). We have investigated how common pricing factors compare for the main classes of securities. Due to the differences in the assets related to these securities, the relevant pricing factors for these securities should differ, too. Taking these three classes as a whole, we have documented that the assets attached as collateral for the securities differ between security classes, but that there are also important univariate differences to consider. We found that most of the common pricing characteristics between ABS, MBS and CDO differ significantly. Furthermore, applying the same pricing estimation model to each...

The real estate market in Poland is a relatively immature market, but one that has been experiencing substantial transformation. The development of the market has been encouraged by a number of factors, including changes arising as a result of new legislation and the migration of capital between capital markets. The progress of the real estate sector towards a western style competitive market has taken place within the gradual transformation of the Polish economy into a free market economy. As investment grade property is in relatively short supply in Poland, investors consider opportunities within the wider CEE block. An analysis of the risk-return characteristics of the three largest CEE real estate markets namely, Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic, shows that the returns in these markets have been negatively correlated with the UK. As these economies and markets evolve, and being part of the wider EU trading block, their economic performance will slowly converge and become more ...