Can the boom in oil prices be explained in terms of tightened market fundamentals? Or has the oil market been distorted by the entry of financial players? This article will try to shed light on the marked increase in volatility during the latest 2008-2009 price cycle and on the role of...

This paper analyzes the effects of policy reform on the structure of India's trade in manufactures, from 1990 to 2006. It computes comparative advantage indicators on the basis of disaggregated trade flow data and assesses the effects of trade liberalization on the evolution of India's pattern...

We assess the causes and implications of the greater financial participation in commodity markets post-2003. Focusing on crude oil, we build a calibrated macro-finance model of oil prices and quantities that also determines consumer welfare. We show that shifts in the preferences and constraints...

We analyze the interaction between bank and market finance in a model where bankers gather information through monitoring and screening. We show that, if a market is established characterized by a disclosure law such that entrepreneurs wishing to raise market-finance can credibly disclose their...