In Chapter 1, I hypothesize that there is a differential response by agents to changes in sovereign credit or default risk in both quiet (low default risk) and turbulent markets (high default risk). These market conditions create two different states of the market (world) or regimes. Investors and policy makers respond differently in the two regimes but the response in the turbulent market condition is amplified as policy makers attempt to smoothen the fluctuations and uncertainty while investors rebalance their portfolios in an attempt to hedge against downside risk of wealth loss. In the two regimes, the short run and long run dynamic relationships between any two cointegrated assets may change. To capture this phenomenon, this study tests for nonlinearities that may characterize the regimes, how cointegration relationships, short term dynamic interaction and price discovery (speed of adjustment to new information between two assets) may change in alternative regimes. To this end, I employ threshold cointegration, threshold vector error correction model (TVECM) asymmetrical return spillover modeling for sovereign credit default swaps (CDS), bonds and equity markets of seventeen emerging markets from four geographical regions. I find that there is non-linear cointegration and momentum in long-run adjustment process in 43/51 spreads analyzed. All countries analyzed have at least 2/6 possible regime specific asymmetric price discovery process. The study also finds evidence in support of asset substitution hypothesis and news-based hypothesis of financial contagions in sovereign CDS, bond and equity markets. The findings have important implications for asset allocation and portfolio rebalancing decisions by investors, policy intervention in financial markets, risk management and regime specific short and/or long term dynamic interactions among assets held in a portfolio as well as nonlinear speed of adjustment to new information. In chapter 2, I hypothesize that financial intermediaries can be categorized into bank-based institutions (BBIs) and market-based institutions (MBIs). MBIs and BBIs are under different regulatory agencies. Traditionally, only BBIs, regulated by the Fed, are used as conduits of transmitting liquidity and monetary policy into real economy and financial markets yet MBIs also play important role in providing liquidity and stability in financial markets. I use two tools of monetary policy (Federal fund rate and monetary aggregate) under two monetary policy regimes to investigate the impact of monetary policy under each regime on the liquidity of MBIs and BBIs. I investigate whether MBIs be used as conduits of transmitting monetary policy and liquidity in the market and if they should, under what economic and financial conditions (Regimes) should they be used. Moreover, what monetary policy tool is more effective for MBIs relative to BBIs under different regimes? Using Threshold vector auto-regressions and regime specific impulse response functions, I find that liquidity of BBIs and MBIs respond differently to different monetary policy tools under different regimes. Moreover, monetary policies are uncertain and vary over time. The Fed cannot continue to ignore MBIs in formulating and implementing monetary policy. Moreover, monetary aggregate policy is more effective when used on MBIs during contractionary monetary policy intervention (economic downturn) while Federal fund rate is more effective when used on BBIs under expansionary monetary policy.

Despite the vital role that banks play in Financial markets (FM) by connecting lenders to borrowers, instability in these financial markets, currency values and the global environment has affected the profitability of banks with those in Sweden inclusive. Most if not all companies including banks go into business because they want to create value. The banks like other firms thus look for ways to manage their risks while striving to improve productivity and performance for this value to be created. This productivity only comes when the banks give credits to customers from money deposited by shareholders or savings from customers thus putting them at risk in case of default. Despite this risk, the bank cannot stop the business of credit granting because it is the main source of its profitability. So she finds herself in a situation with profitability on the one hand and risk of default on the other hand. For success to be attained, the only option is good credit risk management practices since in the process, returns are correlated to risk. The risk management practices vary from bank to bank depending on its policies on credit granting decisions. Different banks prioritize the information gotten about customers for credit assessment differently and although they are faced with the same type of risk, their techniques of management are different. This paper is thus geared towards looking at how some banks in Sweden go about their credit risk management activities by looking at the qualities which they consider of companies before granting them credits. This study was carried out using a qualitative research method and open ended interviews. The sample group consisted of three banks in Umeå, Sweden. The analysis of the empirical data showed that credit risk management occupies an indispensible position when lending decisions are carried out. It also goes ahead to show that even though banks may be faced with the same risks, their credit risk management techniques differ, the importance given to the information used for credit assessment differs from bank to bank and collaterals also play a very important role in credit granting decisions. So, for greater results of credit risk management to be attained, banks must value all information about the customer perfectly because any neglected information can be the root cause of their problem or default. Key words: Credit risk, risk management, financial markets, financial intermediaries.

The diploma thesis focuses on the problems of regulation of financial intermediaries and reviews the contemporary situation in the financial market of the Czech Republic. In the introductory part subjects that can provide financial services and circumstances under which these services are possible are defined. The introduction also outlines the framework for controlling, its planned development, state institutions supervising this process and the up-to-date state of self-regulation by the financial intermediaries themselves. The main part of the thesis is devoted to contemporary key topics in the field (mis-selling, providing of misleading or incomplete information, reinsurance, promotion of excessive trading, low expertise, reward system etc.), supervision by the state and the attitude of financial intermediaries to these activities.. The aim of the thesis is to find a functional relationship between the set of rules defined by legislation and the internal self-regulatory system of the financial intermediaries.

The first aim of this thesis is to tackle the deficiencies within the system of financial regulation. Furthermore, it aims to assess the submitted and even the already adopted proposals. The aims cannot be achieved without an analysis of the causes of the global financial crisis 2007-2009, because it helps to understand a range of deficiencies in the system of financial regulation. A global financial crisis of that magnitude cannot be traced to a single cause but was instead the result of multiple interconnected causes, which are examined at the macroeconomic as well as microeconomic level.

This thesis addresses the relationship between financial development and CSR performance, based on countries within the EU. The main objective of this thesis is to critically analyse and discuss the impact of financial development on CSR performance, through using ESG performance as a proxy. Additionally, this study aims at analysing the inclusion of institutional factors when examining the relationship. While the issue of how financial development impacts individual sustainability dimensions is quite well-researched, only one study is found to examine the precise relationship between financial development and ESG performance, concluding a positive linkage in Asia. No similar study is found in the region of the EU. We find the relationship to be complex, where various channels of influence are identified when examining ESG dimensions separately. To examine this relationship, we used panel data regression analysis, based on country level data for EU’s individual member states. Our findings show a complex relationship, implying that financial development has various impacts on ESG performance and varies throughout the range of financial development. This is in contrast to previous empirical research regarding the relationship, concluding an overall positive impact. This study provides no evidence that institutional factors affect the relationship between financial development and ESG performance, but argues for the importance of institutional inclusion, due to the identified influence on ESG practices through channels such as governing laws, regulations, norms and culture. Finally, financial development is concluded as an important catalyst to promote ESG performance within the EU. When suggesting any policy implementation, it is important to keep in mind that different countries within the EU may have different needs regarding the most efficient approach to increase ESG.

A long period of low interest rates, economic growth and a booming housing market hasresulted in an increase in the debt level of Swedish households. New digital ways of providingfinancial services are changing the traditional banking world and are often praised for beingefficient and inclusive. Financial intermediaries, a party between a buyer and a seller that actsas a mediator to efficiently facilitate transactions, play an important role in the economy andsociety. Approximately 40-55 percent of unsecured consumer loans were taken through a loanintermediary in Sweden during 2020. As a result of the situation of the Swedish credit market,there is a need to understand how the actors in the market are connected and how they createvalue together. Loan intermediaries are an important and interesting actor to analyze furthersince such a large share of unsecured consumer loans are taken through their service, andbecause this kind of service is growing to be an increasing part of the credit ecosystem.According to business ecosystem theory, all actors are viewed within a closed system. In theideal scenario, participants would cooperate to foster stability and systematic benefits andimbalances in the ecosystem have harmful impact on all members. This master thesis aims atdeveloping an ecosystem of the Swedish credit market and to describe loan intermediaries'contribution to a more efficient consumer credit market.First, this study resulted in the development of a methodology to identify, describe, andvisualize ecosystems. A five-step process was identified and implemented to create anunderstandable image of the credit market ecosystem. The method resulted in an ecosystemmap, visualizing 26 generic actors and their interconnections. Second, to gain a deeperunderstanding of how loan intermediaries contribute to an efficient system, semi-structuredinterviews were held with representatives from loan intermediary companies and the SwedishEnforcement Authority. According to this study, loan intermediaries contribute to a moreefficient consumer credit market by providing access to credit, by making information moretransparent and readily available for consumers, and by driving innovation. / En lång period av låga räntor, ekonomisk tillväxt och en blomstrande bostadsmarknad har letttill att de svenska hushållens skuldsättning har ökat. Nya digitala sätt att tillhandahållafinansiella tjänster förändrar den traditionella bankvärlden och hyllas ofta för att vara effektivaoch inkluderande. Finansiella intermediärer, en part mellan en köpare och en säljare som agerarsom medlare för att effektivt underlätta transaktioner, spelar en viktig roll i ekonomin och isamhället. Ungefär 40–55 procent av blancolån togs genom en låneförmedlare i Sverige under2020. Situationen på den svenska kreditmarknaden uppmärksammar ett behov av att förstå hurmarknadens aktörer är sammankopplade och hur de skapar värde tillsammans. Låneförmedlareär en viktig och intressant aktör att analysera vidare eftersom en så stor andel av blancolånentas genom deras tjänster, och eftersom denna typ av tjänst växer till en allt större del avkreditekosystemet. Enligt teorin om ”business ecosystems” betraktas alla aktörer i ett slutetsystem. I ett perfekt scenario skulle deltagarna samarbeta för att främja stabilitet ochsystemfördelar och obalans i ekosystemet har en skadlig inverkan på alla medlemmar. Dennamasteruppsats syftar till att utveckla ett ekosystem över den svenska kreditmarknaden ochbeskriva låneförmedlarnas bidrag till en mer effektiv konsumentkreditmarknad.För det första resulterade studien i utvecklingen av en metod för att identifiera, beskriva ochvisualisera ekosystem. En process i fem steg identifierades och genomfördes för att skapa enbegriplig bild av kreditmarknadens ekosystem. Metoden resulterade i en ekosystemkarta somvisualiserade 26 generiska aktörer och deras inbördes kopplingar. För att få en djupareförståelse för hur låneförmedlare bidrar till ett effektivt system genomfördes semistruktureradeintervjuer med representanter från låneförmedlingsföretag och Kronofogden. Enligt studienbidrar låneförmedlare till en effektivare konsument-kreditmarknad genom att ge tillgång tillkrediter, tillgängliggöra transparent information samt genom att driva innovation.

Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2017-07-31T19:31:26Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jian de Paula Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2954843 bytes, checksum: 6416ed0089dbce405ef1aa567249e373 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-08-01T10:41:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jian de Paula Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2954843 bytes, checksum: 6416ed0089dbce405ef1aa567249e373 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-01T10:41:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Jian de Paula Oliveira - 2017.pdf: 2954843 bytes, checksum: 6416ed0089dbce405ef1aa567249e373 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-13 / This study aims to verify how the development of the financial system affects economic growth for all Goiás State’s municipalities from 2000 to 2012. For this, we made a review of theoretical and empirical arguments that were developed in the main studies on this relationship to later develop an empirical model that is able to check the main assumptions that underlie this area of study. The main motivation of this is the level of depth in terms of the discussion of this literature, then expecting for a result that suggests the existence of a positive relationship between financial intermediaries and economic growth. Finally, the results of this work indicate that the relationship between the development of the financial system and economic growth is positive and significant, just as it is presented in much of the empirical literature on the subject. / Este estudo tem o objetivo de verificar como o desenvolvimento do sistema financeiro afeta o crescimento econômico para todos os municípios goianos no período de 2000 a 2012. Para isso, faz-se uma revisão dos argumentos teóricos e empíricos que se desenvolveram nos principais estudos a respeito relação, para posteriormente desenvolver um modelo empírico que seja capaz de verificar as principais hipóteses que permeiam esta área de estudo. A principal motivação deste é o aprofundamento da discussão do tema, trazendo a mesma para nível municipal dentro do contexto econômico do Estado de Goiás, podendo então verificar se o comportamento desta relação é o mesmo apresentado na literatura empírica. Por fim, os resultados deste trabalho indicam que a relação entre o desenvolvimento do sistema financeiro e o crescimento econômico é positiva e significativa, corroborando, em grande parte, a literatura empírica a respeito do tema.

This diploma thesis focuses on the moral hazard aspects in the financial crisis on the USA market in the years 2007-2009, that later became known as a global crisis of real economic. The thesis aim is to prove a role of moral hazard in the financial crisis origins, role that can be detected in the activities and behavior of the market participants. There is a survey of the individual causes of the crisis and interpretation in the terms of moral hazard. First part of the thesis focuses on the theoretical basics of moral hazard that is being represented by the Principal-Agent Problem. This theory is further applied on the financial market theories. Second part of the thesis describes the origin and development of the financial crisis. It represents the introduction of the crisis without exploring the causes. The third part of the thesis is the core part, there is presented the role of moral hazard in the financial crisis due to the synthesis of the two previous parts. Item by item there are introduced the activities on the crisis market, where the principle of these activities is presented in terms of moral hazard. This part also includes moral hazard in the society that influences also the financial market. The last part focuses on the regulation of the financial markets in connection with the possibilities of moral hazard elimination.

Jouant un rôle crucial pour l’efficience des marchés, la banque d’investissement contemporaine se caractérise par l’exercice d’une grande diversité d’activités aussi complexes qu’hétérogènes sous un même toit. Agissant tantôt auprès d’une clientèle de particuliers, d’entreprises, d’institutions financières, de fonds d’investissement ou de gouvernements, et tantôt pour son propre compte, elle compose avec une multitude d’intérêts divergents, ce qui soulève un certain questionnement quant à la portée de l’obligation de loyauté dont elle peut être tributaire envers ses clients. Les implications répétées des banques d’affaires dans la vague de récents scandales financiers ont inévitablement affecté la confiance que les épargnants témoignent envers l’intégrité de cette institution et des marchés financiers en général. Elles ont de plus contribué significativement à relancer le débat concernant la pertinence de contrôler, et même d’éliminer les conflits d’intérêts, un phénomène largement répandu au sein de la banque d’investissement. À titre de mécanismes préventifs, les solutions de marchés et l’autodiscipline des intermédiaires financiers sont imparfaits. La réglementation des conflits d’intérêts se justifie alors afin de pallier les défaillances du marché et de l’autorégulation. Pour autant qu’il maintienne sa réglementation dans un rapport efficience-équité acceptable, l’État est appelé à concevoir des normes de contrôle aux objectifs variés, allant de la réforme structurelle du secteur financier à l’élaboration de principes généraux devant servir de balises à la conduite des intermédiaires financiers. Ainsi, dans une industrie caractérisée par une forte conglomération, la réponse des législateurs semble s’articuler autour du traitement adéquat des conflits d’intérêts, traitement qui s’opère par divers mécanismes, dont la muraille Chine, la divulgation et le refus d’agir. / Playing a key role in market efficiency, the modern investment bank offers a wide variety of services that are as complex as they are different, all under one roof. Acting sometimes in the interest of individuals, businesses, financial institutions, investment funds or governments and sometimes in its own interest, an investment bank must contend with a multitude of diverging interests, which raises certain questions as to the extent of any duty for loyalty it may owe to its clients. Repeated involvement by investment banks in the wave of recent financial scandals has inevitably affected investors’ confidence with respect to the integrity of these institutions and financial markets in general. This factor has significantly contributed to renewing the debate concerning the relevance of controlling, or even eliminating, conflicts of interest, which are a wide-spread phenomenon in the investment banking industry. In terms of preventive measures, market-related solutions and self-discipline by financial intermediaries are inherently flawed. Therefore, in order to offset such deficiencies, it becomes justifiable to regulate conflict of interest situations. Numerous possibilities exist and, as long as regulation is maintained at an acceptable effectiveness/fairness ratio, the State is called upon to establish monitoring standards for various objectives, ranging from a structural reform of the financial sector to developing general principles to serve as guidelines for the conduct of financial intermediaries. Thus, in an industry characterized by a strong tendency for conglomeration, the response from regulators seems to hinge on adequate handling of conflicts of interest, which includes various mechanisms such as the Chinese wall, disclosure and a refusal to act.

This thesis examines responses to the problem of stock market short-termism ('SMST'). SMST is defined as investors preferring short-term financial returns over potentially more profitable longer-term investment opportunities. Such short-termism may result in serious real-world consequences. Company executives appear to respond to short-term pressures in ways that jeopardize the long-term sustainability of listed companies negatively impacting investors and other stakeholders including employees, customers and the community at large. This thesis provides an original contribution to the academic literature via an in-depth examination of all significant regulatory and financial industry efforts meant to reform SMST in major capital markets after the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. I hypothesize that the extensive discussion of the SMST issue has generated substantial reforms. Based on an analysis of the implemented reforms, I reveal that the anticipated surge of SMST reform has not occurred. I then explore why the widespread SMST discussion has not resulted in greater reform efforts. This examination reveals the complex nature of the SMST problem and the evidentiary issues inherent in viably identifying and measuring the harms of SMST. However, I determine that there is probable cause for concern justifying SMST reform measures. Further, I conclude that SMST issues arise because investors are biased towards short-term returns when calculating risk. This bias is evident in share pricing, meaning that share prices are not a reliable indicator of fundamental corporate value. Based on this conclusion, an original dual pathway for SMST reform is proposed. This dual pathway indicates that SMST reform measures must either: (1) reduce the actual or perceived excessive discounting of future returns by investors (i.e. make share prices better reflective of long-term value); or (2) cut-off the transmission mechanisms of SMST into the listed company (i.e. sever the link between share prices and corporate decision-making). Assessing the reforms against this dual pathway reveals that few of the reforms are conceptually effective. Of the few reforms that are conceptually effective, most are relatively 'light' touch. A 'light' touch approach may not be problematic, however, as such measures are easier to implement than 'hard' law. In the case of regulatory reforms, a 'light' touch approach provides scope for flexibility to minimize the many potential harms associated with 'hard' law measures. Consequently, this thesis concludes that SMST reform is more likely to occur if reformers pursue a 'lighter' touch approach meant to reduce excessive discounting of future returns and 'nudge' capital markets away from their harmful short-termism focus.