We empirically study the determinants of failures of microfinance institutions based on the CAMELS rating components and microfinance-specific measures by applying probit regression techniques. Our findings confirm the capital adequacy (C), the asset quality (A), the management capability (M),...

While the volume of cross-border capital inflow to emerging market economies (EMEs) has been increasing since 1970s, the last three decades have witnessed a more pronounced change in the structure of these cross-border capital flows. In this paper, we document the rise of domestic global banks...

This paper analyzes whether and how central banks can use currency options to lower exchange rate volatility and maintain (implicit) target zones in foreign exchange markets. It argues that selling rather than buying options will result in market makers dynamically hedging their long option...

The financial and economic crisis had a profound impact on the financial position of pension funds in most countries. Whilst the magnitude of these losses is primarily related to the severity of the crisis, it appears that shortcomings in the implementation of investment strategies significantly...

Funds of Hedge Funds (FoHFs) are often thought to have excess skewness relative to the S&P 500. We illustrate by means of novel econometric methods that this arises because of a buy-and-hold strategy with respect to underlying hedge funds, which exhibit excess skewness with respect to the...

Contract is crucial for governing the relationships between asset owners and the many types of agents that underpin the production of financial services. In this paper, we distinguish between discrete contracts for financial services and asset management contracts that are better described as...

We study outsourcing relationships among international asset management firms. We find that in companies that manage both outsourced and inhouse funds, inhouse funds outperform outsourced funds by 0.85% annually (57% of the expense ratio). We attribute this result to preferential treatment of...

We study international outsourcing in the asset management industry. We argue that subcontractor management companies use the funds they manage on behalf of third parties to subsidize their own inhouse funds. On average, inhouse funds outperform the outsourced funds by 7.5 basis points per...

This paper investigates dynamic currency hedging benefits, with a further focus on the impact of currency hedging before and during the recent financial crises originated from the subprime and the Euro sovereign bonds. We take the point of view of a Euro-based institutional investor who...