This dissertation studies heterogeneity in financial markets using quantile regressions. The first chapter develops uniform confidence bands for the linear quantile regression estimator in a time series setting. The confidence bands are important for estimating the precision at different quantiles of the conditional distribution. The inference procedure is carried out through bootstrapping and allows for serially correlated error terms. An empirical application to the relationship between stock returns and investor sentiments suggests the method can be informative. The second chapter analyzes the heterogeneity of firm characteristics on returns to capital. It develops a theoretical model under a utility maximization framework with imperfect insurance and credit markets constraints. From the model, the returns to capital are derived as a function of the parameters, which affects the production function of the firm and the entrepreneur utility form. Quantile regression is applied to analyze the field experiment data from the Sri Lanka Micro Enterprises Project (2005-2010). Empirical evidence shows that returns vary across different quantiles of firm profits. Further, the ability/risk aversion of entrepreneurs affect the returns differently at different quantiles. The third chapter examines capital account liberalization and its effect on price volatility in the Chinese housing market. The chapter assesses the extent to which: a) short-term capital flows and foreign direct investment may have impacted prices and volatility in the Chinese housing market; and b) whether 2006 Capital Account Regulations on foreign purchases of Chinese real estate were effective in reducing the level and volatility of prices in the housing market. The results show that hot money magnified the impacts of capital flows on housing prices during upward surges in housing prices. Quantile regression provides quantitative evidence that the more volatile the housing market was, the larger the impact short-term capital flows had on accentuating such volatility. Furthermore, the 2006 CAR continued to have a strong impact on reducing volatility in the Chinese housing market during the period under study.

Collective investments have become a very popular investment vehicle in South Africa because it is, among other things, transparent, liquid and easily accessible. Growing investor knowledge, good market returns and its suitability for diversification, which minimizes risk, also contributes to its popularity. A value chain that adds value to the investor has developed around the collective investment scheme. The role players in this chain include the investment manager, the management company and financial intermediaries. The growth in this part of the collective investment industry has been so dynamic that regulation and the introduction of various new intermediary layers are constantly affecting the value chain and the value added for the investor. Research was conducted to assess the impact of the value chain on the behaviour of the individual investor and the effect this has on wealth creation. The literary review established that the environment surrounding this dynamic and interdependent value chain is well-regulated and that costs and investor behaviour could have a significant impact on investment returns. The empirical study revealed that the average individual investor recognizes the impact of the value chain on his investment, but perceives himself as being knowledgeable enough to avert ineffectiveness in the chain by ensuring desired investment returns through good investment decisions. Over-diversification and irresponsible switching between funds by the investor can, however, destroy value and negate the effect of long-term returns. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

L’augmentation massive du volume de données générées chaque jour par les individus sur Internet offre aux chercheurs la possibilité d’aborder la question de la prédictibilité des marchés financiers sous un nouvel angle. Sans prétendre apporter une réponse définitive au débat entre les partisans de l’efficience des marchés et les chercheurs en finance comportementale, cette thèse vise à améliorer notre compréhension du processus de formation des prix sur les marchés financiers grâce à une approche Big Data. Plus précisément, cette thèse porte sur (1) la mesure du sentiment des investisseurs à fréquence intra-journalière, et le lien entre le sentiment des investisseurs et les rendements agrégés du marché,(2) la mesure de l’attention des investisseurs aux informations économiques et financières en temps réel, et la relation entre l’attention des investisseurs et la dynamique des prix des actions des sociétés à forte capitalisation, et enfin, (3) la détection des comportements suspicieux pouvant amoindrir le rôle informationnel des marchés financiers, et le lien entre le volume d’activité sur les réseaux sociaux et le prix des actions des entreprises de petite capitalisation. Le premier essai propose une méthodologie permettant de construire un nouvel indicateur du sentiment des investisseurs en analysant le contenu des messages publiés sur le réseau social Stock-Twits. En examinant les caractéristiques propres à chaque utilisateur (niveau d’expérience, approche d’investissement, période de détention), cet essai fournit des preuves empiriques montrant que le comportement des investisseurs naïfs, sujets à des périodes d’excès d’optimisme ou de pessimisme, a un impact sur la valorisation du marché action, et ce en accord avec les théories de la finance comportementale. Le deuxième essai propose une méthodologie permettant de mesurer l’attention des investisseurs aux informations en temps réel, en combinant les données des médias traditionnels avec le contenu des messages envoyés par une liste d’experts sur la plateforme Twitter. Cet essai démontre que lorsqu’une information attire l’attention des investisseurs, les mouvements de marchés sont caractérisés par une forte hausse des volumes échangés, une hausse de la volatilité et des sauts de prix. Cet essai démontre également qu’il n’y a pas de fuite d’information significative lorsque les sources d’informations sont combinées pour corriger un potentiel problème d’horodatage. Le troisième essai étudie le risque de manipulation informationnelle en examinant un nouveau jeu de données de messages publiés sur Twitter à propos des entreprises de petite capitalisation. Cet essai propose une nouvelle méthodologie permettant d’identifier les comportements anormaux de manière automatisée en analysant les interactions entre les utilisateurs. Étant donné le grand nombre de recommandations suspicieuses d’achat envoyées par certains groupes d’utilisateurs, l’analyse empirique et les conclusions de cet essai soulignent la nécessité d’un plus grand contrôle par les régulateurs de l’information publiée sur les réseaux sociaux ainsi que l’utilité d’une meilleure éducation des investisseurs individuels. / The massive increase in the availability of data generated everyday by individuals on the Internet has made it possible to address the predictability of financial markets from a different perspective. Without making the claim of offering a definitive answer to a debate that has persisted for forty years between partisans of the efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance academics, this dissertation aims to improve our understanding of the price formation process in financial markets through the use of Big Data analytics. More precisely, it analyzes: (1) how to measure intraday investor sentiment and determine the relation between investor sentiment and aggregate market returns, (2) how to measure investor attention to news in real time, and identify the relation between investor attention and the price dynamics of large capitalization stocks, and (3) how to detect suspicious behaviors that could undermine the in-formational role of financial markets, and determine the relation between the level of posting activity on social media and small-capitalization stock returns. The first essay proposes a methodology to construct a novel indicator of investor sentiment by analyzing an extensive dataset of user-generated content published on the social media platform Stock-Twits. Examining users’ self-reported trading characteristics, the essay provides empirical evidence of sentiment-driven noise trading at the intraday level, consistent with behavioral finance theories. The second essay proposes a methodology to measure investor attention to news in real-time by combining data from traditional newswires with the content published by experts on the social media platform Twitter. The essay demonstrates that news that garners high attention leads to large and persistent change in trading activity, volatility, and price jumps. It also demonstrates that the pre-announcement effect is reduced when corrected newswire timestamps are considered. The third essay provides new insights into the empirical literature on small capitalization stocks market manipulation by examining a novel dataset of messages published on the social media plat-form Twitter. The essay proposes a novel methodology to identify suspicious behaviors by analyzing interactions between users and provide empirical evidence of suspicious stock recommendations on social media that could be related to market manipulation. The conclusion of the essay should rein-force regulators’ efforts to better control social media and highlights the need for a better education of individual investors.

One could argue that the most discussed topic in finance is whether or not it is possible to “beat the market”. Even though many people claim to do this, there is little evidence to support the idea that one can consistently beat the market over a long period of time. There are indeed several examples of investors who have managed to outperform the market consistently for a long time, but the efforts of these individuals or institutions could by many be considered to be pure luck. One of the many strategies that have been evaluated by several researchers and is said to generate a risk adjusted return greater than that of the market, is one based on the P/E-effect. This strategy is based on the financial ratio P/E – price divided by earnings – and used by constructing portfolios consisting of stocks with low P/E ratios. Several studies have confirmed the existence of the P/E-effect on various stock markets around the world and over different time periods. On the Swedish market, however, few studies have generated the same results. Most of these studies can be considered to be insufficient with regards to sample sizes and methods, spawning a need for more extensive studies. We have examined the P/E strategy on the Swedish Stock Exchange (SSE) between 2004 and 2012. The sample included 358 companies (excluding financial companies) with available necessary data. The stocks were divided into five portfolios based on their yearly P/E ratios (low to high), upon which the monthly returns of the individual stocks were calculated using a logarithmic formula. The returns were also risk adjusted using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), followed by a regression analysis to see if possible abnormal returns could be considered to be statistically significant for the examined time period. The results of our study indicate that the P/E effect is not present on the Swedish Stock Exchange during the examined time period, and we therefore conclude that it was not possible to utilize a strategy based on the P/E effect between 2004 and 2012 in order to achieve an abnormal return. The results can be used to argue that the Swedish stock market is more efficient than for example the U.S. stock market where the P/E effect has been found to exist.

Collective investments have become a very popular investment vehicle in South Africa because it is, among other things, transparent, liquid and easily accessible. Growing investor knowledge, good market returns and its suitability for diversification, which minimizes risk, also contributes to its popularity. A value chain that adds value to the investor has developed around the collective investment scheme. The role players in this chain include the investment manager, the management company and financial intermediaries. The growth in this part of the collective investment industry has been so dynamic that regulation and the introduction of various new intermediary layers are constantly affecting the value chain and the value added for the investor. Research was conducted to assess the impact of the value chain on the behaviour of the individual investor and the effect this has on wealth creation. The literary review established that the environment surrounding this dynamic and interdependent value chain is well-regulated and that costs and investor behaviour could have a significant impact on investment returns. The empirical study revealed that the average individual investor recognizes the impact of the value chain on his investment, but perceives himself as being knowledgeable enough to avert ineffectiveness in the chain by ensuring desired investment returns through good investment decisions. Over-diversification and irresponsible switching between funds by the investor can, however, destroy value and negate the effect of long-term returns. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

International investment agreements largely cover today’s transnational investments. These agreements confer certain substantive rights to foreign investors while simultaneously obliging host-states to act in a given manner so as to not interfere with the investments. Most international investment agreements further contain an arbitration clause which provides the investor with the means to enforce the substantive rights of the agreement by directly bringing a claim against the host-state before an arbitral tribunal. Consequently, privately contracted arbitrators have the authority to scrutinize and overrule essentially any sovereign act of the host-state that may affect the investment – judicial and legislative acts included. This practice affects not only the parties of the dispute; when the arbitral award claims superiority to the state’s electoral choices, it further constrains the exercise of sovereignty by the population of the host-state. As a result, the arbitrators who manage the disputes and the investors who initiate them have become central power-holders in the context of both international and domestic law. Meanwhile, the arbitrators and investors alike seem to be unaccountable to the states and individuals who are adversely affected by their power assertions. A commonly accepted feature of democracy is that those who govern and wield power should be accountable to those who are governed and subjected to this power. This thesis relates this notion to a Foucauldian understanding of power, domination and resistance. The primary aim of the thesis is to examine the interplay between the prominent subjects involved in investor-state arbitration and to what degree these subjects hold power in the form of transformative capacity. After this investigation into the relations of power, the thesis scrutinizes the subjugated subjects’ ability to exercise effective resistance through institutionalized accountability mechanisms. The thesis detects an accountability deficit in the regime and concludes that foreign investors and arbitrators hold a dominant position within the context of investor-state arbitration, while states and individuals find themselves in a state of domination. The international investment regime, as it currently stands, is thus found to suffer from a democracy deficit, while it concurrently seems to undermine domestic democratic institutions.

Tesis por compendio / [ES] La financiación es uno de los aspectos más importantes, y muchas veces problemáticos, a la hora de crear una empresa. Hay distintas formas de financiarse, con fondos propios o ajenos. El crowdfunding es una forma, relativamente reciente de financiación, con fondos ajenos al capital del promotor del negocio y basada en el uso de plataformas tecnológicas. Existen distintas formas de crowdfunding. Algunas se pueden basar en donaciones, como por ejemplo para financiar proyectos comunitarios, músicos y artísticos. Otras pueden basarse en la recaudación y contribuciones de individuos que buscan recompensas no monetarias. Otras pueden formar parte del sistema de financiación alternativa para los empresarios y emprendedores. Dentro de estas podemos diferenciar, por un lado las aportaciones de los inversores a cambio de acciones de las empresas financiadas, más conocido como crowdfunding basado en acciones (crowdequity), Y por otro lado, las que se basan en la solicitud de crédito, donde los inversores esperan recibir el principal aportado más intereses siguiendo un modelo de préstamo tradicional (crowdlending). El objetivo de esta tesis es focalizarlo en este último: el crowdlending. Para ello hemos realizado cuatro trabajos de investigación que se han publicado en cuatro diferentes journals indexados en Web of Science de Clarivate (con JCR). En primer lugar, se estudia el estado del arte del crowdlending dentro del crowdfunding. En segundo lugar, se analizan dos casos importantes de crowdlending en dos sectores distintos (relojes como complemento de moda y el sector del vino). En tercer lugar, se analizan 17 plataformas activas de crowdlending para ver la actividad de las mismas en relación a los inversores. En cuarto y último lugar, se estudian los factores en la gestión de la información que se asocian a una plataforma de proyectos de crowdlending. El crowdlending es una herramienta de financiación que surge de la economía colaborativa. Se emplea una plataforma online para poner en común inversores que ofrecen recursos económicos, con empresas/individuos emprendedores que necesitan y demandan recursos monetarios. Para ello, lo primero que hemos realizado ha sido una revisión de la literatura previa en el topic (plasmado en el primer artículo). Luego hemos realizado un estudio cualitativo, centrado en dos casos de crowdlending a nivel nacional (plasmado en el segundo artículo). Con posterioridad realizamos un estudio cuantitativo de plataformas con el propósito de crear un indicador sintético definido por una serie de variables influyentes: importe total de los préstamos intermediados en la plataforma, variación anual de este importe, número de inversores y su variación anual, rentabilidad media, préstamos por inversor y su variación anual, y por último la oferta y la demanda de este modelo de financiación (plasmado en el tercer artículo). Finalmente acabamos la investigación de la tesis con un análisis cualitativo comparativo (QCA) utilizando tanto componentes numéricos como cualitativos (plasmado en el cuarto artículo). / [CA] La finançació és un dels aspectes més importants, i moltes voltes problemàtics, a l'hora de crear una empresa. Hi ha distintes formes de finançar-se, en fondos propis o aliens. El crowdfunding és una forma, relativament recent de finançació, en fondos aliens al capital del promotor del negoci i basada en l'us de plataformes tecnològiques. Existixen distintes formes de crowdfunding. Algunes es poden basar en donacions, com per eixemple per a finançar proyectes comunitaris, músics i artístics. Unes atres poden basar-se en la recaptació i contribucions d'individus que busquen recompenses no monetàries. Unes atres poden formar part del sistema de finançació alternativa per als empresaris i mamprenedors. Dins d'estes podem diferenciar, per un costat les aportacions dels inversors a canvi d'accions de les empreses finançades, més conegut com crowdfunding basat en accions (crowdequity), I per un atre costat, les que es basen en la solicitut de crèdit, a on els inversors esperen rebre el principal aportat més interessos seguint un model de préstam tradicional (crowdlending). L'objectiu d'esta tesis és focalizarlo en este últim: el crowdlending. Per a això hem realisat quatre treballs d'investigació que s'han publicat en quatre diferents journals indexats en Web of Science de Clarivate (en JCR). En primer lloc, s'estudiarà l'estat de l'art del crowdlending dins del crowdfunding. En segon lloc, s'analisaran dos casos importants de crowdlending en dos sectors distints (rellonges com a complement de moda i el sector del vi). En tercer lloc, s'analisaran 17 plataformes actives de crowdlending per a vore l'activitat de les mateixes en relació als inversors. En quarto i últim lloc, s'estudien els factors en la gestió de l'informació que s'associen a una plataforma de proyectes de crowdlending. El crowdlending és una ferramenta de finançació que sorgix de l'economia colaborativa. S'ampra una plataforma online per a posar en comú inversors que oferixen recursos econòmics, en empreses/individus mamprenedors que necessiten i demanden recursos monetaris. Per a això, lo primer que hem realisat ha segut una revisió de la lliteratura prèvia en el topic (plasmat en el primer artícul). Després hem realisat un estudi qualitatiu, centrat en dos casos de crowdlending a nivell nacional (plasmat en el segon artícul). En posterioritat realisem un estudi quantitatiu de plataformes en el propòsit de crear un indicador sintètic definit per una série de variables influents: import total dels préstams intermediats en la plataforma, variació anual d'este import, número d'inversors i la seua variació anual, rendabilitat mitjana, préstams per inversor i la seua variació anual, i per últim l'oferta i la demanda d'este model de finançació (plasmat en el tercer artícul). Finalment acabem l'investigació de la tesis en un anàlisis qualitatiu comparatiu (QCA) utilisant tant components numèrics com a qualitatius (plasmat en el quart artícul). / [EN] Financing is one of the most important, and often problematic, aspects of starting a business. There are different ways of financing, with own or third party funds. Crowdfunding is a relatively recent form of financing, with funds outside the capital of the business promoter and based on the use of technological platforms. There are different forms of crowdfunding. Some may be based on donations, for example to finance community, music and art projects. Others may be based on fundraising and contributions from individuals seeking non-monetary rewards. Others may be part of the alternative financing system for entrepreneurs and business people. Within these we can differentiate, on the one hand the contributions of investors in exchange for shares of the funded companies, better known as crowdfunding based on shares (crowdequity), and on the other hand, those based on the application for credit, where investors expect to receive the principal contributed plus interest following a traditional lending model (crowdlending). The objective of this thesis is to focus on the latter: crowdlending. To this end, we have carried out four research papers that have been published in four different journals indexed in Clarivate's Web of Science (with JCR). First, the state of the art of crowdlending within crowdfunding will be studied. Secondly, two important cases of crowdlending in two different sectors will be analyzed (watches as a fashion accessory and the wine sector). Thirdly, 17 active crowdlending platforms will be analyzed to see their activity in relation to investors. Fourthly and finally, the factors in information management associated with a crowdlending project platform are studied. Crowdlending is a financing tool that arises from the collaborative economy. An online platform is used to match investors who offer economic resources with entrepreneurial companies/individuals who need and demand monetary resources. To do this, the first thing we have done has been a review of previous literature on the topic (reflected in the first article). Then we conducted a qualitative study, focused on two cases of crowdlending at national level (shown in the second article). Subsequently, we conducted a quantitative study of platforms in order to create a synthetic indicator defined by a series of influential variables: total amount of loans intermediated on the platform, annual variation of this amount, number of investors and their annual variation, average profitability, loans per investor and their annual variation, and finally the supply and demand of this financing model (reflected in the third article). Finally, we finish the thesis research with a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) using both numerical and qualitative components (presented in the fourth article). ¿ / Ribeiro Navarrete, S. (2022). El crowd o multitud como método de financiación de proyectos empresariales. Referencia al crowdlending o préstamo de multitud [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/186242 / Compendio

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: McDonald's is world renowned for the benchmark standards it sets in operations management. This is evidenced by the numerous references in operations management textbooks over the last 10-15 years. However, since 1999, McDonald's has not been able to link this operations excellence to creating shareholder value. In fact, the McDonald's share price has declined by 64 % over the last 4 years. In comparison, Wendy's (McDonald's biggest competition in the US fast food market) share price has increased by 2 % over the same period. Understanding why McDonald's has not been able to link operational excellence and the creation of shareholder value is the reasoning behind this mini-thesis. The hypothesis is that there are a number of factors. which influence shareholder value, and operational excellence is but one of these factors. A literature survey was conducted in order lO understand the underlying theories which link operational excellence and shareholder value creation. Evidence supporting this hypothesis is then presented and discussed. In Chapter 3, McDonald's ability to deliver operational excellence is evaluated against the evidence presented in operations management textbooks and other sources. The success of McDonald's in delivering perfonnance in the other factors affecting shareholder value is then discussed in Chapter 4 and compared to its biggest competition. Firstly, the share price of McDonald's is compared to its biggest competition (Wendy's), then the strategy of McDonald's and its impact on shareholder value creation is discussed, along with McDonald's ability to implement the other important factors and drivers, namely customer value creation, efficiency of value delivery and direct financial impact on shareholders. As a result of the above evidence. it was found that there are two basic reasons why McDonald's has not been able to link operational excellence and shareholder value creation: 1. Relative to its competition, McDonald's has not demonstrated sufficient competence in the other factors, which influence shareholder value creation. These factors are: customer value creation and the efficiency of customer value delivery. This is further evidenced by the financial output measures of McDonald's relative to its competition. 2. McDonald's ability in delivering operational excellence has diminished recently. This is evidenced by falling ratings in customer satisfaction surveys. The above reasons are evidenced by customer satisfaction survey results, comparative financial results and a number of non-direct driver results. In order to increase shareholder value creation, it is recommended that McDonald's change the focus of its strategy from operations to the creation of customer value. In order to support this change, the organisational structure and business processes will have to be changed by top management, who must be the crusaders of this change. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: McDonald's is bekend vir die maatskappy se wereldklas bedryfs bestuur standaardc. Die standaarde word tel kens na verwys in menige bedryfs bestuur handboeke oor die afgelope 10 tot 15 jaar. McDonald's kon egtcr nie daarin slaag om die hoe bedryfsbetuur standaarde in aandeelhouer waarde te omskep nic. Die waarde van die McDonald's aandele het met 64% gedaaJ oor die afgelope 4 jaar. In kontras het Wendy's (McDonald's se grootste mededinger in die Amerikaanse kitskos mark) se aandeel pryse met meer as 2% gestyg oor dieselfde peri ode. Die redc vir hierdie studie is dan juis om te bepaal waarom McDonald's nie hul voortrcflike bestuurs standaarde kon koppel aan stygende aandeelhouer waarde nic. Die hipotese is dat daar 'n aantal faktore is wat die aandeelhouer waarde van 'n maatskappy bepaal en dat bedryfs bestuur standaarde maar net een van hierdie faktore is. 'n Literatuur studie is gedoen om te bepaal wat die verwantskap is tussen puik bedryfsbetuur standaarde en die skepping van aandeelhouer waarde. Die bewyse vanuit die literatuurstudie is dan gebruik om die hipotese mee te toets. In Hoofstuk 3 is die vennoe van McDonald' s om hoe bedryfsbestuur standaarde te handhaaf evalueer aan die hand van die literatuur studie. McDonald's se sukses in die implementering van die ander faktore wat lei tot verhoogde aandeelhouer waarde is in Hoofstuk 4 bespreek en terselfde tyd vergelyk met die verrnoens van sy grootste mededingers. Eerstens is die aandeelprys van McDonald's met die van sy grootste mededinger (Wendy's) vergelyk en tweedens is die strategie van McDonald's en die impak daarvan op aandeelhouer waarde bespreek. Ander belangrike faktore soos kliente waarde skepping. effektiwiteit van waarde toevoeging en direkte finansiele impak op aandeelhouers is ingesluit in die bespreking. Daar is gevind dat daar twee hoofredes is waarom McDonald's nie daarin geslaag het om bedryfs bestuur uitmuntenheid te omskep in aandeelhouer waarde nie: 1. McDonald's het in vergelyking met sy mededingers nie goed genoeg gedoen m.b.t. die ander faktore wat aandeelhouer waarde bernvloed nie. Hierdie faktore is kliente waarde skepping en effektiwiteit van waarde toevoeging. 2. McDonald's se bedryfs bestuur standaarde het begin afneem. Dit word gestaaf deur laer waarderings in klante tevredenheids bepalings. Die onvermoe van McDonald' s om die bogenoemde faktore te implementeer word deur die klante tevredenheids bepalings, vergelykende finansiele resultate en 'n aantaJ indirekte maatstawwe gestaaf. Daar word dus voorgestel dat McDonald's sy stralegiese fokus moet verskuif vanaf bedryfs bestuur optimisering na kliente waarde skepping. Die organisasie struktuur en besigheids prosesse van McDonald's sal dus deur bestuur herorganiseer moet word om die verandering in strategie te kan ondersteun.

本論文利用證券交易所提供的日內成交資料可以追蹤投資人的交易記錄，並研究1995-2003年208家初次發行上市公司(IPO)的新舊投資人基礎以及其變動對於資金成本的影響。研究結果發現，大部分IPO確實能增加投資人基礎，而且投資人偏好報酬率與報酬率波動較大的股票；另外，投資人基礎的變動可以解釋Merton(1987) investor recognition hypothesis，即投資人基礎增加可以降低資金成本。 由第二章的分析可知大部分IPO的確能吸引更多的投資人交易，平均而言，第二年新增14.2%的投資人交易，而且有43.8%的公司增加投資人交易；另外，61.5%的公司吸引更多的新投資人，只有39.4%的公司吸引更多的舊投資人。投資人增加的比率與持有期間超額報酬有關，這可以解釋為何上市公司以及交易所皆努力提升投資人基礎。另外，新投資人在市場較熱絡時增加較為顯著，而且較偏好報酬率波動較大的股票。 除了研究第二年投資人基礎增加的情形，本論文亦研究第一年的投資人在第二年的股票持有變化情形，如果投資人在第一年曾經持有該公司的股票，並於期末前賣掉，則第二年股票的持有期間超額報酬率愈高時，將吸引愈多的投資人繼續交易該股票；但是如果投資人在第一年期末持有該IPO股票，當股票的第二年持有期間超額報酬率愈高時，投資人會傾向賣掉手中持股。 第三章檢驗Merton (1987) ‘investor recognition hypothesis’，即公司增加愈多投資人基礎將降低因為資訊不完全所產生之資金成本，並增加公司的價值。相對於之前針對投資人基礎增加會降低資金成本的研究，本論文以交易該公司股票的投資人代表知道該股票的投資人基礎，此代理變數較先前研究更能代表“awareness of the firm”。利用市場模型，發現公司在第二年平均減少超額報酬率，若將樣本分成電子與非電子產業，仍然得到類似的結果。最後，本論文發現投資人變動的確能解釋異常報酬的變動，即符合Merton (1987) investor recognition hypothesis，此現象不論在產業分類或法人皆得到一致的結論。 / A unique dataset is analyzed in this study comprising of data obtained from the TSE transactions record database on trading activity for the 208 IPO firms. The investor’s identity can trace investor’s trading records. Thus, we can define new and old investors. Additionally, the identification of the type of investor (as either an individual or institutional investor) facilitates the examination of investor behavior for either type. From the analysis in the chapter 2, we can see that there is an increase over time in the number of investors which IPOs are able to attract. An increase of 14.2 percent is found in the mean number of investors per firm, while 43.8 percent of firms are found to experience increases in the overall number of investors from the first year to the second year after their initial listing. On average, the mean rate of increase for new investors is larger than that for old investors, with 61.5 percent of IPO firms experiencing increases in the total number of new investors, as compared to the 39.4 percent of firms which experience increases in old investors. The results reveal that the rate of increase in investors has a positive correlation with holding period excess returns (HPERs), which helps to explain why both firms and stock exchanges have such similar strong desires to see improvements in the overall number of investors. A significant increase in new investors is discernible in a ‘hot’ market, and in those firms with higher return volatility levels. Furthermore, all investors naturally prefer firms with higher returns. The analysis of the changes in the investor base suggests that if investors do not hold the stock in first year, then the higher the HPERs, the greater the overall increase in the total number of investors; however, where investors had previously held the relevant stocks, we find that they will tend to sell their winning stocks. Chapter 3 undertakes an examination of the Merton (1987) ‘investor recognition hypothesis’, in which he argues that an increase in the total number of investors with prior knowledge of a firm will ultimately lower the expected returns of investors by reducing the ‘shadow cost’ arising from the lack of knowledge on a particular security; the end result of this will invariably be an increase in the market value of the firm’s shares. In contrast to the prior studies, we employ the total number of traders to represent the awareness of any given firm among investors. We examine the reduction in the costs of equity capital associated with listing using the ‘market model’ to compute the abnormal returns, and find a decline in the average daily abnormal return in the second year. Similar patterns are discernible for firms in both the non-electronics and electronics industries. Finally, our test of the Merton (1987) investor recognition hypothesis is undertaken by regressing the firms’ average abnormal returns against the changes in the overall numbers of traders. The results confirm the association between investor recognition and the costs of capital.

In 1965, amid antagonism between capital-importing and capital-exporting states over investment protection, the World Bank created ICSID. ICSID facilitates the resolution of disputes between foreign investors and states. Since major initiatives to create investment rules have failed within the UN and OECD, ICSID is the only successful attempt to create a multilateral, inter-state organization dedicated to investment. This thesis probes the intellectual, political, and economic forces behind the creation and early development of ICSID. This study combines archival work, oral histories, and interviews with econometric work. On this basis, it illuminates how ICSID's creators-mainly staff in the World Bank's Legal Department-adapted their ideas to suit the charged political context. When disseminating the idea of ICSID to states, they relied on ambiguity, expertise, and incrementalism. These three characteristics constitute an approach to organization building that I term "modest multilateralism" since the World Bank's President praised ICSID as "a modest proposal." By illustrating how this approach operated in ICSID's case, I generate insights that are applicable to other international organizations. ICSID's creation differs from the expectations of institutionalist IR theory in important ways. First, there was little state leadership, and ICSID's founding Convention is devoid of substance-it merely outlines a procedure. In this way, it takes the idea of ambiguity to its extreme. Second, ICSID's founders took steps to shield the organization from the politics of investment protection: they asked states to send legal experts, not elected representatives, and avoided deliberative debate. Third, ICSID's design was explicitly evolutionary. ICSID can operate alongside changing substantive rules-multilateral, bilateral, or domestic. Finally, contrary to previous accounts, in this thesis the ICSID Secretariat emerges as a dynamic agent. The Secretariat actively pursued ratifications and advance consents to investor-state arbitration. The creation of ICSID fostered a community of practice, which subsequently redefined international investment law through treaty making and arbitral practice.