The structural approach offers an integrated framework to deal with yield spreads and default probability simultaneously. However, structural models perform poorly in predicting corporate bond spreads. It is unclear whether this poor performance is caused by characteristics of individual models,...

Both solid business ventures and those not on as firm a footing can fail because they do not manage risk properly. This study shows that start-ups with a positive NPV project can fail because of inadequate cash reserves. We apply the first-hitting time model to analyze the effect of a cash...

We extend the WACC and APV frameworks by incorporating risky cash flows and the potential loss of tax shields. A closed-form solution is derived for the expected effective tax shields. Our model explains the under-leverage puzzle, and provides better estimates for the required equity return...

This paper examines one of the major problems in credit risk models widely used in the financial industry to forecast future defaults and bankruptcies. We find that even after proper calibration, a representative credit risk model can severely underestimate default correlation. We further find...

Term structure models have often been criticized for failing to explain satisfactorily the yield spread between corporate and Treasury bonds. A potential problem is that the personal tax effect is ignored in these models. In this paper, we employ a structural model to investigate the role of...

This paper examines the effects of default risk, call risk, and their interactions on bond duration. We find that call risk decreases durations of default-free bonds, while default risk alone generally decreases durations for risky bonds with only a few exceptions. The joint effect of default...

We examine the interactive effect of default and interest rate risk on duration of defaultable bonds. We show that duration for defaultable bonds can be longer or shorter than default-free bonds depending on the relation between default intensity and interest rates. Empirical evidence indicates...

In this paper we examine the relationship between performance of the Chinese IPO firms and the reputation of investment bankers underwriting their stocks. Similar to previous studies on well-developed stock markets, we find that the initial return on the first day of trading is strongly positive...