Extant models of exchange rate behavior have typically relied on statistical rather than economic considerations. The approach has been to employ a variant of the generalized central limit theorem to develop tests for the models proposed. ; We propose a minimal set of simple economic...

In this paper we specify the basic set of economic criteria that any diffusion-driven interest rate or FX rate process must satisfy. We also develop the methodology that is implementable to test the validity of a proposed process insofar as it satisfies the basic criteria as well as the actual...

In this paper we extend the results derived in our earlier work to develop a methodology to employ the maximum-likelihood estimation technique for the pricing of interest rate instruments. In order to price bonds and their derivative assets, researchers must identify a preference parameter in...

Creditors routinely impose on a borrowing firm a minimum interest coverage ratio that the firm has to maintain. I show that nonlinear costs of financial distress provide a possible explanation of why firms find it optimal to have an interest coverage ratio covenant in their debt indenture, even...

Debt limits, interest coverage ratios, one-off balanced budget requirements, pay-as-you-go rules, and tax and expenditure limits are among the most important fiscal rules for constraining intertemporal transfers. There is considerable evidence that the least costly and most effective of such...

This paper tests the approach of Madan and Milne (1994) and its extension in Abken, Madan, and Ramamurtie (1996) for pricing contingent claims as elements of a separable Hilbert space. We specialize the Hilbert space basis to the family of Hermite polynomials and test the model on S&P 500 index...