On theoretical grounds, shareholder returns should be better explained by some version of residual income (operating profit minus a capital charge) than by a profit number solely. However, empirical evidence indicates the opposite. We first investigate whether this 'value metrics puzzle' may be...

We argue that central bank independence (CBI) is a latent variable of which the various existing quantifications are imperfect indicators. We show how factor analysis techniques can be employed to assess the quality of the various indicators, and how an optimal weighting of the indicators can be...

Survey data on earnings tend to contain measurement error. Administrative data are superior in principle, but are worthless in case of a mismatch. We develop methods for prediction in mixture factor analysis models that combine both data sources to arrive at a single earnings figure. We apply...