This paper presents a macro-economic methodology for evaluating the forward-looking Sharpe Ratios of the equity and debt components of the United States public company capital structure. Using this framework, it is shown that the equity and debt Sharpe Ratios are both time variant and disparate....

Hedge fund managers are compensated via management fees on the assets under management (AUM) and incentive fees indexed to the high-water mark (HWM). We study the effects of managerial skills (alpha) and compensation on dynamic leverage choices and the valuation of fees and investors' payoffs....

Hedge fund managers are compensated via management fees on the assets under management (AUM) and incentive fees indexed to the high-water mark (HWM). We study the effects of managerial skills (alpha) and compensation on dynamic leverage choices and the valuation of fees and investors' payoffs....

Many financial instruments are designed with embedded leverage such as options and leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs). Embedded leverage alleviates investors' leverage constraints and, therefore, we hypothesize that embedded leverage lowers required returns. Consistent with this hypothesis,...

Though part of “market lore,” Black (1976) first reported the inverse relationship between price and volatility, calling it the “leverage effect.” Without providing evidence, Black (1988) claims that in the months leading up to the October ‘87 Crash the relationship changed: price and...