Recent academic research predicts that (i) equity mutual funds have a systematically better performance during periods of economic downturn and (ii) investors are willing to pay high fees for funds that provide recession insurance. In this paper, we test these hypotheses using international fund...

The objective of this paper is to investigate the behavior of the time varying volatility in eleven MENA countries' stock market using a three-state Markov regime-switching model over the period from October 30, 2006 to October 21, 2011. We find that MENA stock market volatility can be...

Chinese futures markets for agricultural commodities are among the fastest growing futures markets in the world and trading behaviour in those markets is perceived as highly speculative. Therefore, we empirically investigate whether speculative activity in Chinese futures markets for...

This paper examines the effect of changes in sovereign credit ratings and their outlook on the stock market returns of European countries at different phases of business cycle. Using standard four factors model, study records a significant average marginal effect of credit rating announcements...

We study the implications of forging stronger political ties with the US on the sensitivities of stock returns around the world to a global common factor - the global financial cycle. Using voting patterns at the United Nations as a measure of political ties with the US along with various...

We study the implications of forging stronger political ties with the US on the sensitivities of stock returns around the world to a global common factor - the global financial cycle. Using voting patterns at the United Nations as a measure of political ties with the US along with various...

Bitcoin is a major virtual currency. Using weekly data over the 2010-2013 period, we analyze a Bitcoin investment from the standpoint of a U.S. investor with a diversified portfolio including both traditional assets (worldwide stocks, bonds, hard currencies) and alternative investments...

This paper estimates a bivariate HEAVY system including daily and intra-daily volatility equations and its macro-augmented asymmetric power extension. It focuses on economic factors that exacerbate stock market volatility and represent major threats to financial stability. In particular, it...

German open-ended real estate funds have net asset values that sum up to €120 bln invested in Germany and abroad. To increase transparency in this dominant investment sector within Germany, IPD has extended the available performance fund indices and now publishes a fund indicator covering the...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of energy consumption on the financial performance of German residential buildings in a large panel framework. The authors provide evidence that energy efficiency in the residential sector is a relevant factor affecting both tenant...