α (“Alpha”) has symbolic importance on the investments side of finance. That is, a fundamental pillar of modern finance theory is the risk-return relation, and traditionally alpha is taken to represent the degree of “mispricing” in asset returns. But, such an interpretation is not...

Econophysics applies the techniques of physics and nonlinear dynamics to complex economic problems. This essay invokes econophysics in order to introduce a theoretical model that aspires to encompass all essential features of real financial markets. It summarizes the central argument of my book,...

We develop a novel empirical asset pricing framework to estimate time-varying risk premia, building on the recently introduced score-driven conditional betas model. First, we extend the conditional betas theory by establishing the asymptotic distribution of standard tests statistics for...

This paper tests the idea that financial intermediaries who act as arbitrageurs in the asset market help determine the equilibrium risk of financial assets. They do this by turning “alphas” into “betas”; assets with large abnormal returns attract more arbitrage and covary correspondingly...

There are many recent worldwide examples of severe financial crises that are linked to periods of financial liberalization. Given the ubiquity of these crises, there is the legitimate question of why governments still pursue financial liberalization policies. Answers to this question range from...