This dissertation studies the impact of multiple pre-specified sources of risk in the return of three non-overlapping groups of countries, through an Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) model. The groups are composed of emerging and developed markets. Emerging markets have become important players in the world economy, especially as capital receptors, but they were not included in the majority of previous related works. Two strategies are used to choose two set of risk factors. The first one is to use macroeconomic variables, as prescribed by most of the literature, such as world excess return, exchange rates, variation in the spread between Eurodollar deposit tax and U.S. Treasury bill (TED spread) and change in the oil price. The second strategy is to extract factors by using a principal component analysis, designated as statistical factors. The first important result is a great resemblance between the first statistical factor and the world excess return. We estimate the APT model using two statistical methodologies: Iterated Nonlinear Seemingly Unrelated Regression (ITNLSUR) by McElroy and Burmeister (1988) and the Generalized Method Moments (GMM) by Hansen (1982). The results from both methods are very similar. With macroeconomic variables, only the world excess of return is priced in the three groups with a premium varying from 4.4% to 6.3% per year and, in the model with statistical variables, only the first statistical factor is priced in all groups with a premium varying from 6.2% to 8.5% per year. / Essa dissertação estuda o impacto de múltiplas fontes de riscos pré-especificados nos retornos de três grupos de países não sobrepostos, através de um modelo de Teoria de Precificação por Arbitragem (APT). Os grupos são compostos por mercados emergentes e desenvolvidos. Mercados emergentes tornaram-se importantes na economia mundial, especialmente como receptores de capital, mas não foram inclusos na maioria dos trabalhos correlatos anteriores. Duas estratégias foram adotadas para a escolha de dois conjuntos de fatores de risco. A primeira foi utilizar variáveis macroeconômicas, descritas na maior parte da literatura, como e excesso de retorno da carteira mundial, taxas de câmbio, variação da diferença entre a taxa de depósito em Eurodólar e a U.S. Treasury Bill (TED Spread) e mudanças no preço do petróleo. A segunda estratégia foi extrair fatores de risco através de uma análise de componentes principais, denominados fatores estatísticos. O primeiro resultado importante é a grande semelhança entre o primeiro fator estatístico e o retorno da carteira mundial. Nós estimamos o modelo APT usando duas metodologias estatísticas: Regressões Aparentemente não Correlacionadas Iteradas (ITNLSUR) de McElroy e Burmeister (1988) e o Método dos Momentos Generalizados (GMM) de Hansen (1982). Os resultados de ambas as metodologias são muito similares. Utilizando variáveis macroeconômicas, apenas o excesso de retorno da carteira mundial é precificado nos três grupos com prêmios variando de 4,4% a 6.3% ao ano e, no modelo com variáveis estatísticas, apenas o primeiro fator estatístico é precificado em todos os grupos com prêmios que variam entre 6,2% a 8,5% ao ano.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / This study examines the relationship between stock returns and market segmentation. Monthly returns of stocks listed on the JSE from 1997-2007 are analysed using mostly the analytic factor and cluster analysis techniques. Evidence supporting the use of multi-index models in explaining the return generating process on the JSE is found. The results provide additional support for Van Rensburg (1997)'s hypothesis on market segmentation on the JSE.

Med hjälp av årlig prisstatistik avseende försäljningar av skogsfastigheter (1995-2020) bedömer studien skogliga investeringars marknadsrisk samt estimerar dess diskonteringsränta. Analysen sker inom de teoretiska ramverken Capital Asset Pricing Theory (CAPM) samt Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT). Utöver korrelation med marknaden analyseras ett antal riskfaktorer så som inflation, förändringar i bostadspriser, BNP samt förändringar i virkespriser. CAPM beräknas för olika löptider där den riskfria räntan matchas mot investeringens tidshorisont. Resultatet ligger i linje med tidigare forskning och visar att skogliga investeringar har en låg marknadsrisk och troligen kan ge ett skydd mot inflation. Val av korrekt löptid för den riskfria räntan har betydande effekt på den estimerade diskonteringsräntan.

This study explores the influence of inflation on the monthly total stock returns and stock pricing of Swedish banks. The research question is systematically examined througha cross sectional and time series analysis, utilizing Fama-French, Carhart, and Fama-Macbeth metodologies. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, the outcomes from the Fama-French-Carhart regression, incorporating the inflation factor, reveal a consistently negative effect of inflationon stock returns across Swedish banks. This unexpected result challenges the anticipated relationship between inflation and stock returns. Furthermore, the assessment of risk premiums via the Fama-Macbeth regression does not identify a statistically significant risk premium for inflation exposure. These findings contribute to understanding the dynamics between inflation and the financial performance of Swedish banks, prompting further inquiry into the factors influencing stock returns in the presence of inflationary pressures.

This paper analyzes the characteristics that influence the revenue of Airbnb listings in Sweden, aiming to uncover the factors driving high competition in the hotel business due to the sharing economy. By investigating the relationship between Consumer Trust The- ory and Hedonic Pricing Theory in the context of Airbnb, the study identifies variables that contribute to the success of hosts in this sector. Utilizing panel data analysis with panels nested in host ID and property ID, the research integrates theoretical concepts and empirical data to offer practical applications for hosts seeking to enhance their listings' performance. The findings reveal that Airbnb revenue positively correlates with a higher number of booked reservations, bedrooms, bathrooms, reviews, and photos. Listings with flexible cancellation policies and those priced in local currency also experience increased revenue. Conversely, long stay duration requests from hosts, shared accommodation rooms, and instant bookings are associated with lower revenue. These results provide valuable insights for optimizing revenue strategies and improving platform design. The implications of this research extend to Airbnb hosts and online platform designers, offer- ing strategies to enhance revenue and user experience. Furthermore, the study contributes to a broader understanding of the tourism sector in Sweden and lays a foundation for future academic research on the economic and sociological effects of home-sharing ser- vices.

Denna uppsats är skriven inom området finansiering och behandlar fenomenet uppköp och företagsförvärv inom läkemedelsbranschen. I uppsatsen undersöker man läkemedelsbranschen och några nyckelaffärer utförda under de senaste fem åren. Syftet är att se om hypotesen om att det inte sker någon onormal överavkastning efter ett företagsförvärv eller sammanslagning till det köpande företaget gäller inom industrin. Modellen som används är ”the Arbitrage Pricing Model”, innehållande variablerna S&P 500, ^DRG, USA’s inflation och volymen av omsatta aktier på New York-börsen. Denna används för att beräkna en förväntad avkastning på aktien 48 månader efter affären. Ytterligare så används AMEX läkemedelsindex (^DRG) och Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) som måttstock för att jämföra utvecklingen av aktien under 48 månader efter affären. Hypotesen håller i tre av sex fall när indexen ^DRG och S&P 500 används som måttstock och i samtliga fall när den beräknade avkastningen används som måttstock. De beräknade estimaten visade sig vara aningen för optimistiska givet tidpunkten för affären. Marknaden hade vuxit mycket starkt under en lång tid och var på toppen just innan den föll kraftigt i början av år 2000. Inget av företagen nådde upp till de beräknade värdena. Inte heller lyckades de återhämta sig från det kraftiga fallet I marknaden till deras ursprungliga aktievärden. / This thesis is written within the field of finance and covers the Merger & Acquisition (M&A) phenomenon within the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose with this thesis is to examine the pharmaceutical industry and, with some key acquisitions done over the last five years, see if our hypothesis about no abnormal returns after an M&A to the buying firm, holds within the industry. The model used is the Arbitrage pricing model, incorporating the variables; S&P 500, ^DRG, US inflation and stock volume traded on NYSE, to calculate expected returns for a period of 48 months after the M&A’s. Furthermore we use AMEX pharmaceutical index (^DRG) and Standard & Poor 500 (S&P 500) as our base for measuring post-M&A performance 48 months after the M&A’s. The hypothesis holds three out of six times when using the indices ^DRG and S&P 500 as a benchmark and all of the times when using the calculated expected returns as benchmark. The calculated estimates turned out to be a bit too optimistic given the time of the M&A’s where the market had grown substantially over a long period and was at its peak just before it plummeted in the early 2000’s. Neither of the companies reached their estimated returns, nor did they manage to recover from the downfall to their initial stock value at the time of the merger.

<p>Denna uppsats är skriven inom området finansiering och behandlar fenomenet uppköp och företagsförvärv inom läkemedelsbranschen. I uppsatsen undersöker man läkemedelsbranschen och några nyckelaffärer utförda under de senaste fem åren. Syftet är att se om hypotesen om att det inte sker någon onormal överavkastning efter ett företagsförvärv eller sammanslagning till det köpande företaget gäller inom industrin.</p><p>Modellen som används är ”the Arbitrage Pricing Model”, innehållande variablerna S&P 500, ^DRG, USA’s inflation och volymen av omsatta aktier på New York-börsen. Denna används för att beräkna en förväntad avkastning på aktien 48 månader efter affären. Ytterligare så används AMEX läkemedelsindex (^DRG) och Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) som måttstock för att jämföra utvecklingen av aktien under 48 månader efter affären.</p><p>Hypotesen håller i tre av sex fall när indexen ^DRG och S&P 500 används som måttstock och i samtliga fall när den beräknade avkastningen används som måttstock.</p><p>De beräknade estimaten visade sig vara aningen för optimistiska givet tidpunkten för affären. Marknaden hade vuxit mycket starkt under en lång tid och var på toppen just innan den föll kraftigt i början av år 2000. Inget av företagen nådde upp till de beräknade värdena. Inte heller lyckades de återhämta sig från det kraftiga fallet I marknaden till deras ursprungliga aktievärden.</p> / <p>This thesis is written within the field of finance and covers the Merger & Acquisition (M&A) phenomenon within the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose with this thesis is to examine the pharmaceutical industry and, with some key acquisitions done over the last five years, see if our hypothesis about no abnormal returns after an M&A to the buying firm, holds within the industry.</p><p>The model used is the Arbitrage pricing model, incorporating the variables; S&P 500, ^DRG, US inflation and stock volume traded on NYSE, to calculate expected returns for a period of 48 months after the M&A’s. Furthermore we use AMEX pharmaceutical index (^DRG) and Standard & Poor 500 (S&P 500) as our base for measuring post-M&A performance 48 months after the M&A’s.</p><p>The hypothesis holds three out of six times when using the indices ^DRG and S&P 500 as a benchmark and all of the times when using the calculated expected returns as benchmark.</p><p>The calculated estimates turned out to be a bit too optimistic given the time of the M&A’s where the market had grown substantially over a long period and was at its peak just before it plummeted in the early 2000’s. Neither of the companies reached their estimated returns, nor did they manage to recover from the downfall to their initial stock value at the time of the merger.</p>

The thesis is focused on the options of quantifying credit risk by using the concept of the KMV model. The introduction outlines the basic approaches to measuring credit risk. In the following chapters is specified the nature of KMV model with the focus on its application in the Czech capital market. Self-calibration of the KMV model is made in this part. The analytical part related to the quantification of credit risk using the KMV model is implemented on selected companies which are traded on the Prague Stock Exchange. The results obtained are consequently confronted with the official rating degrees of agency Moody's.

在所有的行銷變數中，價格是攸關公司是否獲利，從而決定企業成敗最直接的因素。經濟學中的價格理論一直佔著很重要的地位，而在其理論中卻有太多的假設，以致與現實市場情況脫節。且對於廠商實際上應如何訂價也很少提及，導致企業在訂價時，有許多技術性的問題無法克服，因此便無從運用這些理論。以下所列者為本研究所探討的幾個重要的課題。 (1)建立『致實用』的訂價理論架構 (2)建立需求曲線的衡量方法過去經濟學家藉『序列效用理論』或『計數效用理論』，建立了需求曲線。但這些理論都建立在一些不合理的假設下。且這些方法對企業來說也過於抽象，運用上也欠缺競爭因素的考慮。導致企業訂價時，無法合理估計出價量的關係，更無從利用需求曲線來決定最佳的訂價。本研究透過『貝氏整合法』，經『人機整合』的方式，整合了各專家的先驗訊息與市場調查的樣本訊息，以期提高需求曲線的賴度，並作為企業訂價時預估銷售量的基礎。 (3)落實各種訂價方法在實務上的運用就像經濟理論一樣，過去學者所建立的一些訂價方法，就學術觀點固然有其價值，但在實務的運用上卻往往缺乏技術面的考量，以至未能為企業界廣為採用。本研究對各訂價方法研擬運用的步驟，並將以個案公司實務運用之。 (4)提出整合導向的訂價觀點影響廠商訂價的因素相當複雜，必須統合競爭、成本與需求面的考慮，以訂出最適的價格。因此，本研究以過去文獻中所提者為基礎，再輔以一些技術上的克服，落實經濟理論中有關整合導向的訂價方法。本研究並首創以權益報酬率為觀點的整合導向訂價法，藉著整合訂價與各功能部門的互動，使產品能為公司創造最大的價值。 (5)提出權益報酬率觀點之訂價的理由過去企業實務上的訂價，甚至各文獻所提到的訂價方法，大都限於行銷部門的觀點，尋求銷售額或利潤的極大化。但經本研究分析，利潤極大化未必會使公司整體獲利。在『股份有限公司』盛行的今日，股東價值的提升才是公司經營的最終目標。一味的尋求利潤或銷售量的極大，可能會造成生產與財務部門無法充分的與訂價策略配合，導致權益報酬率下降。

This thesis is an investigation into the relationship that exists between macroeconomic variables and the pricing of common stock under trending market conditions. By introducing a dichotomous independent variable as a way of distinguishing between periods of rising and falling thereby attaching an additional expected premium to each of five accepted sources of macroeconomic risk for participation in ‘Bear’ markets. 228 observations of the fourteen industry sub-groupings of former TSE 300 were examined separately. The ultimate results were obtained using the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) as the model to obtain factor exposures. The results show that there is no significant relationship between market trend and the pricing of common stock when the APT is applied. The final recommendation is that more research is needed.