Many, if not most, individuals cannot be regarded as ‘intelligent consumers’ when it comes to understanding and assessing different investment strategies for their defined contribution pension plans. This gives very little incentive to plan providers to improve the design of their pension...

We use a case study of a pension plan wishing to hedge the longevity risk in its pension liabilities at a future date. The plan has the choice of using either a customised hedge or an index hedge, with the degree of hedge effectiveness being closely related to the correlation between the value...

This paper evaluates the probability density forecasts reflected in the Bank of England's real GDP growth fan charts. Evaluation is carried out using tests that allow for data dependence and using two GDP growth estimates. Results suggest there are problems with the shorter horizon forecasts,...

This paper critically reviews the evolution of financial reporting in the banking sector with specific reference to the reporting of market risk and the growing use of the measure known as Value at Risk (VaR). The paper investigates the process by which VaR became 'institutionalised'. The...

This paper reviews a number of recent surveys relevant to risk management by UK insurers. These include the results of four surveys specifically on UK insurers. Our findings suggest that the risk management practices of UK insurers are variable, generally behind best practices in adjacent...

This paper develops and tests a model of consumer behavior in which income and leisure are simultaneously chosen. Using a version of the AIDS, the author develops a system of consumer demand equations in which consumer demand depends on "full income", relative prices and the real wage rate, and...