I propose a model in which firms can convey their quality by listing on a stock exchange. To list, firms must comply with costly listing requirements allowing investors to recognize imperfectly their quality. A profit maximizing exchange may set listing requirements leading to high information...

I propose a model in which a stock exchange can improve its liquidity by tightening its listing requirements. Because these reduce information asymmetry, they increase the utility of investors and lead to a high investor participation on the exchange. However, the exchange never sets the highest...

The global financial crisis that began in the summer of 2007 has brought the financial industry to centre stage. While most current analysis focuses on the way finance can be regulated in the topical context of the economic crisis, this book aims to show how financial activities actually shape...

I examine competition in the sector of mortgage life insurance, in particular the periodic switching right (PSR), by which the borrower can change his insurer once every period (say, every year). The PSR is likely to have pro competitive effects (lower premium), but by the same move, to lead to...

This paper addresses the question of what options are available to regulate the sector in the near future. In order to answer this question, the paper focuses on the problem of investment and innovation in an ex ante regulated sector. Relying on existing literature, we argue that ex ante...

Adopting an historical perspective, we propose to study the way recurrent debates regarding the “excessive speculation” category on financial derivatives markets, take various shapes at different points in time. We consider that history does not repeat itself, at least not in the exact way....

The unconventional monetary policies implemented in the wake of the subprime crisis and the recent increase in inflation volatility have revived the debate on medium to long-term resurgence of inflation. This paper presents the optimal strategic asset allocation of an investor seeking to hedge...

Inflation shocks are one of the pitfalls of developing economies and are usually difficult to hedge. This paper examines the optimal strategic asset allocation for a Brazilian investor seeking to hedge inflation risk at different horizons, ranging from one to 30 years. Using a...