Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the roles of diversification, hedging, and a third risk-reduction process – “pacification” – in risk finance. Design/methodology/approach – After briefly reviewing the concepts of diversification and hedging, a simple mathematical...

Chapter 1. The Real Estate Investment Market: The Current State and Why Advances Are Needed -- Chapter 2. The Data -- Chapter 3. Modern Portfolio Theory -- Chapter 4. Historical Portfolio Optimization – Domestic REITs -- Chapter 5. Diversification with International REITs -- Chapter 6....

Purpose – This editorial, the second of a two-part series, proposes a new measure of risk for analyzing highly non-normal (i.e. asymmetric and long-tailed) random variables in the context of both investment and insurance portfolios. The proposed measure replaces the p-norm-based definition of...

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to introduce a new method of estimating risk as an alternative to value at risk (VaR), drawing on the risk assessment literature in environmental science. Design/methodology/approach – A commonly used and accepted measure of market risk is VaR,...

Purpose – Interest rate risk immunization is one of the key concerns for fixed income portfolio management. In recent years, the affluence of new risk measures has emphasized the importance of comparing them with the classic approaches. As a result, one question arises: what is the relation...

Recent improvements in statistical methodologies and data availability are facilitating detailed, high-frequency, timely macroeconomic balance sheet analysis. This paper provides practical instruction on how to design the framework to analyze vulnerabilities in a country as well as an overview...

Financial globalization has increased dramatically over the past three decades, particularly for advanced economies, while emerging market and developing countries experienced more moderate increases. Divergences across countries stem from different capital control regimes, and factors such as...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply safety-first portfolio principles in an environment where financial risk exists because of the probability of terrorist attacks, where the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 (911) are the focal point of the analysis....

This paper discusses the Arrangement for Mexico Under the Flexible Credit Line (FCL) and Cancellation of the Current Arrangement. The recent upward trend in output in Mexico is expected to continue, leading to projected growth of 4 percent for 2010. Financial inflows are projected to gradually...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Switzerland’s economy is performing well. The expansion moved into its fourth year with above average growth and employment, and few signs of inflation. This favorable outcome can be traced to a vibrant external environment, including in...