This paper investigates the dynamic and the determinants of banking industry efficiency in Latin America. Allocative, technical, pure technical and scale efficiencies are calculated and analyzed in each country. We find that Latin American bank managers have been using resources efficiently, but...

Despite recent extreme fluctuations of the Middle East and North African (MENA) stock markets, we do not find strong evidence of rational speculative bubbles in the perspective of both domestic and U.S.-based investors. Fractional integration tests built on ARFIMA models do not support the...

Mutual fund managers face increasing competition and have incentives to quickly reallocate their portfolios in order to achieve the best risk-adjusted return. However, portfolio allocation is costly, as trading, administrative, and information costs all lower returns after management fees....

Facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve (Fed) has responded with sweeping, unprecedented actions to aid a slowing economy and stimulate a frozen credit market. We focus on the policy changes instituted by the Fed and their wealth effects on banks,...

Although there is literature about off-balance sheet (OBS) activities in the banking system, this is the first paper that investigates the off-balance sheet activities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) banking industry. It aims to test the tax regulatory hypothesis and the market...

As this paper examines the relationship between Islamic values and entrepreneurial activity, it seeks to establish whether these values can be more effectively tapped into to raise the profile of Islamic form of entrepreneurship. A written, self-administered questionnaire among a random sample...

The objective of the paper is to analyze whether U.S. investors can achieve diversification benefits from American Depository Receipts (ADRs) beyond what is achievable through investing directly in country indices. Our findings show substitutability between ADRs and country indices in developed...

This study provides evidence on the role of financial development in accounting for economic growth in low- and middle-income countries classified by geographic regions. To document the relationship between financial development and economic growth, we estimate both panel regressions and...

Handbook on Islam and Economic Life is a unique study, one of the first of its kind to consider Islam within a broader economic sphere. Covering a wide breadth of topics and research, it explores how Islam impinges upon and seeks to shape major aspects of economic life including economic...

The Handbook of Islamic Banking comprises 25 studies by leading international experts on Islamic banking and finance specially commissioned to analyse the various debates and the current state of play in the field. This comprehensive Handbook provides a succinct analysis of the workings of...