Mit dem Betriebsrentenstärkungsgesetz (BRSG) wurde den Tarifvertragsparteien erstmals die Vereinbarung reiner Beitragszusagen ermöglicht. Hierbei sind Mindestleistungen oder Garantien seitens der Versorgungseinrichtungen ausdrücklich nicht erlaubt (Garantieverbot). Es ist jedoch möglich,...

While there is a broad consensus in the literature that stock ownership is associated with individual characteristics, such as wealth, income, risk preferences, and financial literacy, less is known about the dynamics of stock market participation (SMP). Major fluctuations in SMP are oftentimes...

Nach Definition der Brundtland-Kommission ist eine Entwicklung nachhaltig, wenn sie "den Bedürfnissen der heutigen Generation entspricht, ohne die Möglichkeiten künftiger Generationen zu gefährden, ihre eigenen Bedürfnisse zu befriedigen und ihren Lebensstil [frei] zu wählen". Diese...

In this paper, we address the question whether the impact of default risk on equity returns depends on the financial system firms operate in. Using an implementation of Merton's option-pricing model for the value of equity to estimate firms' default risk, we construct a factor that measures the...

Diese Untersuchung verfolgt mehrere Ziele. Es soll ein Beitrag geleistet werden zur Klärung folgender Fragen: Welches sind die konstituierenden Merkmale von Preisblasen? Läßt sich die Existenz von Preisblasen empirisch nachweisen? Lassen sich Preisblasen von anderen typischen Phasen der...

The financial press gives very regular attention to art and culture in their many forms. Business newspapers such as the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, Het Financieele Dagblad and De Financieel Economische Tijd give over plenty of space in their weekend editions to news of art auction...

Since World War II, direct stock ownership by households has largely been replaced by indirect stock ownership by financial institutions. We argue that tax policy is the driving force. Using long time-series from eight countries, we show that the fraction of household ownership decreases with...

Sustainable investments cannot focus on profit maximization alone, they also have to contribute to the future of mankind in terms of ecological and social-cultural challenges. How to apply this definition for financial investments is a broadly discussed topic for asset-managers with regard to...

An economy in which deposit-taking banks of a Diamond/ Dybvig style and an asset market coexist is modelled. Firstly, within this framework we characterize distinct financial systems depending on the fraction of households with direct investment opportunities that are less efficient than those...