The $13.5 bn acquisition of Barclays Global Investors by BlackRock, that creates the world’s biggest asset manager, puts again fundamental questions. Can dimensions favout efficiency, overcoming complexity and risks? While other important topics are related to the active or passive style of...

Are private equity investors able to reduce the overall costs of going public? This hypothesis was tested, for the Italian market, on a sample of 155 Ipos (54 Vb and 101 Nvb) during the period 1999-2007. For each company we estimated the direct and indirect costs of listing. The main results are...

A better understanding of the information provided by credit ratings and their proper use allow more transparent and effective communication to investors and a better risks’ diversification. In this way ratings will be able to play a more effective predictive role

The literature that examines target prices issued by equity research analysts is vast, and the role of the analytical process and valuation model used to determine target prices has received growing attention by scholars. However, the specific evidence that indicates how professional analysts...

This paper analyzes the methods of rating attribution of the major international agencies (Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s) between 2005 and 2010 for a sample of Italian and European listed banks and tests empirically, through the multivariate analysis of Ols, the possible relations of...

The financial crisis has stimulated researches on the link between risk models and banking business, showing that banks with greater profitability deriving from traditional activity have less chancee to be involved in a crisis. This hypothesis is confirmed by an analysis conducted on a sample of...

The aim of the paper is to investigate the long-run performance of Italian Ipos, paying close attention to the banking companies. Specifically, the objective is to test if there are differences and/or anomalies between the securities issued by banks and those delivered by other issuers, in the...

Cooperative banking has produced, in more than a century, significant value in terms of proximity to clients and local communities. A governance reform is now necessary to solve interest conflicts and redefine the cooperative model in the present scenario

This paper aims to stress the importance of market liquidity for the stability of the financial system, emphasizing the pivotal role played by liquidity risk in the development of the current financial crisis, pointing out the flaws of regulation and supervision and stressing the need for their...

Under the Basel II advanced Irb (Internal Ratings Based) approach, banks are encouraged to provide internal estimates for all of the risky parameters determining the minimum regulatory capital. While the Pd and Lgd estimation issue has recently attracted a lot of attention by the credit risk...