Earnings forecasts can be useful for investment decisions. Research on earnings forecasts has focused on forecast performance in relation to firm characteristics, on categorizing the analysts into groups with similar behaviour and on the effect of an earnings announcement by thefirm on future...

The aim of this paper is to examine what has been the role of information provision to the market throughout the crisis. We consider two main sources of information to the market, financial statements and information provided by credit rating agencies. We examine how these sources of information...

This is a preliminary study on the status of the U.S. in the global market for derivatives-related services. We include some of the policy choices available to enhance this status. We begin with a review of the importance of active and efficient derivatives markets for the U.S. economy. We then...

The aim of this paper is to examine what has been the role of information provision to the market throughout the crisis. We consider two main sources of information to the market, financial statements and information provided by credit rating agencies. We examine how these sources of information...

The World's best equity analysts are based in Asia – these analysts are better at forecasting stock prices than their peers in the US, Europe and the UK. In comparison with the other regions, the performance of buy recommendations made by Asia analysts is superior and consistent over time. The...

Die weltweite Finanzmarktkrise beruht zu einem wesentlichen Teil auf dem Handel mit Verbriefungen, deren Risiken aufgrund manipulierter Ratings erheblich unterschätzt wurden. Die Ursachen der Krise sind demnach weitgehend unstrittig; das Ausmaß der Krise lässt sich aber gegenwärtig kaum...

Seit dem Sommer 2007 sind die Akteure auf den Finanzmärkten mit einer selbstverursachten Krise konfrontiert. Um eine Wiederholung in Zukunft zu vermeiden, haben die G20-Staaten am 15. November 2008 auf dem Finanzgipfel in Washington beschlossen, "alle Finanzmärkte, Finanzprodukte und...

This study surveys the academic and professional literature examining the privatisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), with a focus on empirical studies. Privatisation has been instrumental in reducing state ownership in many countries and had a transforming effect on global stock markets,...

Lack of transparency in securitization transactions significantly contributed to the severe financial crisis of 20072009. To increase transparency we propose a new mechanism: financial claims with fingerprints. They would allow market participants at each stage of the securitization process to...