We derive the optimal currency portfolio of an equity investor with no forecasting ability. This can be estimated based on observable parameters, including equity and currency covariances and the proportion of the investor's wealth held in risky assets. The currency position depends on the...

We use a large sample of non-US banks to examine the propagation of the 2007-2009 crisis. Using both stock market and structural variables we test whether the relative incidence of the crisis was better explained by crisis models or by the VaR-type analysis of the Basel system. Consistent with...