This study introduces a non linear model for commodity futures prices which accounts for pressures due to hedging and speculative activities. The linkage with the corresponding spot market is considered assuming that a long term equilibrium relationship holds between futures and spot pricing....

In the 1990s, companies collected billions in premiums from peculiarly structured put options written on their own stock while almost all of these puts expired worthless. Buyers of these options, primarily �nancial intermediaries, lost money as a result. Although these losses might seem...

In this paper we examine the effects of media coverage of commodity prices increases and decreases on the price of the commodity and how media coverage in other commodities affects prices. We provide evidence of the relationship between media coverage and its intensity to the price level of...

In view of recent corporate scandals, it is argued that corporate governance can learn from public governance. Institutions devised to control and discipline the behaviour of executives in the political sphere can give new insights into how to improve the governance of firms. Some proposal such...

In this paper, we evaluate firm-, industry- and country-specific factors determining a firm's capital structure. The empirical validity of several capital structure theories has been ambiguous so far. We shed light on the main drivers of leverage and depict differences in industry and country...

Die neuen Märkte für den Transfer von Kreditrisiken tragen auf unterschiedliche Weise und mit Hilfe verschiedener Mechanismen zur Vervollkommnung, Vervollständigung und Informationsversorgung der Finanzmärkte bei. Der Vergrößerung der Handlungsoptionen einzelner Marktteilnehmer sowie der...

The recent financial crisis renewed concerns about a possible destabilizing impact of derivatives trading. Despite a very active research, the question whether or not derivatives tend to destabilize financial markets has not yet been answered to satisfaction. This contribution aims to revise the...

Until very recently, commodity futures were largely ignored by the vast majority of economists. At the same time, markets for foreign currencies were studied by only a relative handful of specialists in international trade and finance. This article examines a subject which overlaps the two very...