Στόχος της παρούσης διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να μελετηθεί η Ταχεία Διάχυση Αρνητικών Χρηματοοικονομικών Συμβάντων (financial contagion) όπως αυτή παρουσιάζεται στην βιβλιογραφία καθώς επίσης οι αιτίες, οι τρόποι διάχυσης και οι τρόποι μέτρησης της. Όσον αφορά στο εφαρμοσμένο κομμάτι της υπάρχουσας βιβλιογραφίας εξετάζεται το μέρος αυτής το οποίο αφορά στην εξέταση της Ταχείας Διάχυσης Αρνητικών Χρηματοοικονομικών Συμβάντων με μοντέλα περιορισμένης εξαρτημένης μεταβλητής. Γίνεται εκτενέστερη ανάλυση στο multinomial logit μοντέλο το οποίο φανερώνει την πιθανότητα εμφάνισης ενός ενδεχομένου σε σχέση με τις επεξηγηματικές μεταβλητές που επιλέγονται. Στα πλαίσια της εργασίας αυτής γίνεται και μια εμπειρική εφαρμογή ενός τέτοιου μοντέλου με δεδομένα που αφορούν την Ελληνική Χρηματιστηριακή Αγορά με σκοπό να δειχθεί αν οι χαμηλές αποδόσεις ορισμένων υποδεικτών του Γενικού Δείκτη Τιμών επηρεάζουν την πιθανότητα εμφάνισης ταυτόχρονων κοινών υπερβάσεων στις αποδόσεις (coexceedances) και άλλων υποδεικτών. / The aim of this thesis is to study the rapid dissemination Negative Financial Events (financial contagion) as presented in the literature as well as the causes, ways and methods of diffusion measurement. As far as the applied part of the existing literature is concerned, it is examined the part which concerns the examination of the Rapid Diffusion of Negative Financial Events (financial contagion) with limited dependent variable models. There is extensive analysis of the multinomial logit model. As part of this work it is presented an empirical application of such a model with data from the Greek stock market in order to indicate whether the low returns of certain subindices of the General Price Index affect the likelihood of simultaneous joint excesses in returns (coexceedances) of other subindices .

This thesis deals with the development, implementation and application of statistical modeling techniques which can be employed in the analysis of credit ratings. Credit ratings are one of the most widely used measures of credit risk and are relevant for a wide array of financial market participants, from investors, as part of their investment decision process, to regulators and legislators as a means of measuring and limiting risk. The majority of credit ratings is produced by the "Big Three" credit rating agencies Standard & Poors', Moody's and Fitch. Especially in the light of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, these rating agencies have been strongly criticized for failing to assess risk accurately and for the lack of transparency in their rating methodology. However, they continue to maintain a powerful role as financial market participants and have a huge impact on the cost of funding. These points of criticism call for the development of modeling techniques that can 1) facilitate an understanding of the factors that drive the rating agencies' evaluations, 2) generate insights into the rating patterns that these agencies exhibit. This dissertation consists of three research articles. The first one focuses on variable selection and assessment of variable importance in accounting-based models of credit risk. The credit risk measure employed in the study is derived from credit ratings assigned by ratings agencies Standard & Poors' and Moody's. To deal with the lack of theoretical foundation specific to this type of models, state-of-the-art statistical methods are employed. Different models are compared based on a predictive criterion and model uncertainty is accounted for in a Bayesian setting. Parsimonious models are identified after applying the proposed techniques. The second paper proposes the class of multivariate ordinal regression models for the modeling of credit ratings. The model class is motivated by the fact that correlated ordinal data arises naturally in the context of credit ratings. From a methodological point of view, we extend existing model specifications in several directions by allowing, among others, for a flexible covariate dependent correlation structure between the continuous variables underlying the ordinal credit ratings. The estimation of the proposed models is performed using composite likelihood methods. Insights into the heterogeneity among the "Big Three" are gained when applying this model class to the multiple credit ratings dataset. A comprehensive simulation study on the performance of the estimators is provided. The third research paper deals with the implementation and application of the model class introduced in the second article. In order to make the class of multivariate ordinal regression models more accessible, the R package mvord and the complementary paper included in this dissertation have been developed. The mvord package is available on the "Comprehensive R Archive Network" (CRAN) for free download and enhances the available ready-to-use statistical software for the analysis of correlated ordinal data. In the creation of the package a strong emphasis has been put on developing a user-friendly and flexible design. The user-friendly design allows end users to estimate in an easy way sophisticated models from the implemented model class. The end users the package appeals to are practitioners and researchers who deal with correlated ordinal data in various areas of application, ranging from credit risk to medicine or psychology.

Submitted by Guilherme Bragança (guilherme.braganca@bnymellon.com.br) on 2009-12-16T17:43:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Guilherme Lima Bragança.pdf: 298406 bytes, checksum: 068b151da0b1307c876da3401fd552e2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gisele Gammaro(gisele.gammaro@fgv.br) on 2009-12-22T13:33:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Guilherme Lima Bragança.pdf: 298406 bytes, checksum: 068b151da0b1307c876da3401fd552e2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2009-12-22T13:33:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Guilherme Lima Bragança.pdf: 298406 bytes, checksum: 068b151da0b1307c876da3401fd552e2 (MD5) / A teoria tradicional de Tobin (1958) sugere que todos os investidores possuem o mesmo portfólio de ativos arriscados, chamado de portfólio de mercado. A proporção entre esse ativo arriscado e o livre de risco dentro de cada portfólio dependeria apenas do grau de aversão a risco de cada agente. No entanto, as imperfeições existentes no mercado de capitais, permitem que a heterogeneidade dos agentes econômicos influencie nas suas alocações de portfólio. Este trabalho avalia o efeito de características econômicas e sócio-demográficas dos investidores de fundos administrados pelo BNY Mellon Serviços Financeiros em sua inclinação a tomar posições em fundos agressivos. Através da análise do conjunto de resultados observados através de três diferentes modelos econométricos, concluiu-se que a evidência empírica para a realidade brasileira, vai, em boa parte, ao encontro da teoria econômica sobre a alocação ótima de portfólio.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:06:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2049.pdf: 560086 bytes, checksum: 32b955d6a93e81457f49b0418b1e9514 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-06 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / A summary of the state of the art relative to regression models for binary response variable and panel data is presented in this work. Those models may include efects from several sources: specific variables of interest, heterogeneity between individuals and lagged values of the response variable. The original contributions of the author are simulation studies to compare two diferent approaches to maximum likelihood estimation of parameters of dynamic models with all three kinds of efects, and also a study of properties of such estimators in group sequential analysis, using the bootstrap methodology. Original codes were developed in R for implementation of simulation studies. The relevance of the subject and the non availability of appropriate codes in commercial software for fitting dynamic models for binary response justify the choice of the theme. / Neste trabalho é apresentado inicialmente um levantamento da literatura referente a modelos de regressão não lineares quando a variável resposta é binária e as observações são um painel de dados. Tais modelos podem incluir efeitos de várias fontes: variáveis específicas de interesse, heterogeneidade não observável dos indivíduos e valores defasados da variável resposta. A parte original do trabalho consiste nos estudos por simulação usando programação criada para esse fim no software R, visando comparar duas propostas recentes da literatura para ajustar, por máxima verossimilhança condicional, modelos dinâmicos que incluem os três tipos de efeitos mencionados. Também é original o estudo empírico, usando a metodologia de reamostragem \bootstrap", de características da distribuição conjunta dos estimadores dos parâmetros em análises intermediárias dos dados. A justificativa do trabalho é a atualidade do tema e a inexistência de programas de ajuste de modelos dinâmicos de resposta binária na maioria dos softwares comerciais.

Neste trabalho discutimos a análise bayesiana em modelos TRI (Teoria da Resposta ao Item) de três parâmetros com respostas binárias e ordinais, considerando a ligação probito. Em ambos os casos usamos técnicas baseadas em MCCM (método de Monte Carlo baseado em Cadeias de Markov) para estimação dos parâmetros dos itens. No modelo com respostas binárias, consideramos dois conjuntos de dados resultantes de provas com itens de múltipla-escolha. Para esses dados, foi feito um estudo da sensibilidade à escolha de distribuições a priori, além de uma análise das estimativas a posteriori para os parâmetros dos itens: discriminação, dificuldade e probabilidade de acerto ao acaso. Um terceiro conjunto de dados foi utilizado no estudo do modelo com respostas ordinais. Estes dados são provenientes de uma disciplina básica de estatística, onde a prova contêm itens dissertativos. As respostas foram classificadas nas categorias: certa, errada ou parcialmente certa. Utilizamos o programa WinBugs para a estimação dos parâmetros do modelo binário e a função MCMCordfactanal do programa R para estimar os parâmetros do modelo ordinal. Ambos os softwares são não proprietários e gratuitos (livres). / In this dissertation the bayesian analysis for three parameters IRT (Item Response Theory) models with binaries and ordinals responses, considering the probit model, was discussed. For both cases, binary and ordinal, techniques based on MCCM (Monte Carlo Markov Chain) were used to estimate the items parameters. For binary response model, was considered two data sets from tests with multipla choices items. For these two data sets, a sensibility study of the priori distributions choice was considered, and also, an analyses of a posteriori estimates of the items parameters: discrimination, difficulties and guessing. A third data set is used to ilustrate the ordinal response model. This come from an elementar statistical course, where a test with open items is considered. The responses are classified in the following categories: correct, wrong or partial correct. The WinBugs software was used to estimate the parameters for the binary model and, for the ordinal model was considered the function MCMCordfactanal from R program.

In South Africa and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, market participation of smallholder farmers are rapidly being advocated as a means to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda’s (SDGs): zero hunger and no poverty. Yet little is known about market participation in the sunflower industry. The study therefore, examine market participation of smallholder sunflower farmers in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, North West Province, South Africa. A quantitative research approach was developed to address the research objectives, and a proportional stratified random sampling technique was used to select 177 sunflower producing households. Respondents information were captured using semi-structured questionnaires, data were then entered and coded using statistical software computer programs (MS Excel, SPSS, and Stata). Socio-economic characteristics, level of market participation, and factors influencing households market participation within the district were analyzed using descriptive statistics, household commercialization index, and probit regression model. Overall, the result indicates that respondents exhibited high level of commercialization (90.1 % market participants). While, the result of the probit regression model shows that eight (8) of the regressors were statistically significant. Variables such as age (Coef = 0.103, p<0.01), gender (Coef = 1.267, p<0.05), market outlet (Coef = 1.351, p<0.01), access to information (Coef = 1.298, p<0.05), and quantity sold in tons (Coef = 0.015, p<0.010) were found to have positive and statistically significant influence, while household size (Coef = -0.409, p<0.01), market distance (Coef = 0.618, p<0.010) and land tenure system (Coef = -1.541, p<0.05) were found to have a negative but statistically significant impact on market participation among respondents. The pseudo R2 of the probit model is 0.5199, indicating that the model matches the dataset and the regressors accurately explains 51.99 % of the variation. The overall goodness of fit measures of the probit model was determined using postestimation test for predictive margin. With a high significant chi-square value of (p<0.0001), the result correctly predicted a 90 % likelihood of respondents to participate in the market. The findings suggests that rural-based initiatives and intervention programs be developed to boost households' access to finance, grants, and diversified markets for effective market competitiveness, while there is a greater need for proper awareness, supports, and partnerships focused on promoting women and youth participation in the sunflower sector across the district. / Agriculture and  Animal Health / M. Sci. (Agriculture)

Heirs' property is generated through the intergenerational transfer of a property to several co-owners when the original owner dies without a will. Such co-owners hold undivided fractional interest in the entire land but lack a clear title. Co-owners face several legal, financial, and technical constraints to manage the forestlands and often seek partition of the land. However, the legal environment and empirical assessment of partition actions on forestlands owned as heirs' property has not been examined. This thesis evaluates statutory laws relevant to forestland partition and the factors instrumental in adjudicating partition lawsuits. The findings reveal that partition lawsuits are primarily adjudicated using common law rather than statutory law. The magnitude of co-owners' fractional interest, the income withheld from forestlands, and the presence of absentee co-owners favor partition claimants. The study results have implications for heirs' property owners, legal entities and personnel, and policymakers.

No description available.

本文以2003到2006年美國上市之不動產投資信託（REITs）的資產稅賦遞延交換做研究，並用資產出售交易作為比較，觀察稅賦遞延交換對股票報酬和股利的影響，研究結果發現稅賦遞延交換對於股票報酬有負的宣告效果，然而出售資產的交易有正的且顯著的宣告效果，由於美國REITs基於稅法規定，作為免稅體，每年要以股利的形式分配百分之九十的盈餘給股東，稅賦遞延交換並不能像資產出售交易一樣帶來現金流入，因此對於未來股東的股利所得有所影響，股東對於股票報酬沒有正向的反應，但是股東會考慮稅賦遞延交換會帶來資產重配置的效率，再加上REITs通常會支付比規定還要多的股利，因此稅賦遞延交換的對於股票報酬的負影響會因此而減弱，進一步針對交易方式還有REITs股利分配進行研究，研究的結果支持稅賦遞延交換後的股利比起直接出售交易後所發放的股利還要少。本文除了研究股東對於交易宣告的反應之外，也綜觀不同資產交易方式的現金流量和REITs股利的關連性，藉此瞭解影響REITs選擇交易方式的內涵因素，以及對股票報酬和股利的影響。 / This research examines the tax deferred exchanges made by public U.S. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) over 2003-2006 as well as the transactions of sell-off. The purpose of this study attempts to explore the effects of tax deferred exchange on stock returns and dividend distribution. Result of this study shows that announcement effect of tax deferred exchange is negative in stock value. On the contrary, the relationship between sell-offs and stock value is significantly positive. The reason to explain the difference on announcement effect between two types of property transaction is the specific taxable earning distribution restriction on REITs. U.S REITs have to pay out 90 % of taxable earnings in the form of dividends to their shareholders to exempt from tax. As a result, tax deferred exchange doesn’t bring cash inflow contributing to dividend increase and then shareholders react a lower stock return on tax deferred exchange than on sell-offs. However, the negative effect is weakened by the efficiency of asset reallocation and the regular dividend distribution over tax law restriction. In the analysis of dividend payment, the result of dividend examination supports the hypothesis that tax deferred exchange without cash inflow make dividend fewer than sell-offs. This study may be of importance in explaining the reaction of shareholders on tax deferred exchange of REITs’ property, as well as in providing shareholders with a better understanding of the relationship between cash flow and dividend distribution in order to clarify the cause that affect REITs to utilize different types of transaction and the factors that affect stock return and dividend.

This thesis consists of four self-contained essays on the various topics in finance.  The first essay, The Information Content of The Systematic Risk Structure of Corporate Yields for Future Real Activity: An Exploratory Empirical Investigation, constructs a proxy for the systematic component of the risk structure of corporate yields (or systematic risk structure), and tests how well it predicts real economic activity in the United States. It finds that the systematic risk structure predicts the growth rate of industrial production 3 to 18 months into the future even when other leading indicators are controlled for, outperforming other models. A regime-switching estimation also shows that the systematic risk structure is very successful in identifying and capturing different growth regimes of industrial production.  The second essay, How Much Leverage is Too Much, or Does Corporate Risk Determine the Severity of a Recession? investigates whether financial conditions of the U.S. corporate sector  can explain the probability and severity of recessions. It proposes a measure of corporate vulnerability, the Corporate Vulnerability Index (CVI) constructed as the default probability for the entire corporate sector. It finds that the CVI is a significant predictor of the probability of a recession 4 to 6 quarters ahead, even controlling for other leading indicators, and that an increase in the CVI is also associated with a rise in the probability of a more severe and lengthy recession 3 to 6 quarters ahead.  The third essay, Asian Flu or Wall Street Virus? Tech and Non-Tech Spillovers in the United States and Asia (with Jorge A. Chan-Lau), using TGARCH models, finds that U.S. stock markets have been the major source of price and volatility spillovers to stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region during three different periods: the pre-LTCM crisis period, the “tech bubble” period, and the “stock market correction” period. Hong Kong SAR, Japan, and Singapore were sources of spillovers within the region and affected the United States during the latter period. There is also evidence of structural breaks in the stock price and volatility dynamics induced during the “tech bubble” period.  The fourth essay, Coping with Financial Spillovers from the United States: The Effect of U. S. Corporate Scandals on Canadian Stock Prices, investigates the effect of U.S. corporate scandals on stock prices of Canadian firms interlisted  in the United States. It finds that firms interlisted during the pre-Enron period enjoyed increases in post-listing equilibrium prices, while firms interlisted during the post-Enron period experienced declines in post-listing equilibrium prices, relative to a model-based benchmark. Analyzing the entire universe of Canadian firms, it finds that interlisted firms, regardless of their listing time, were perceived as increasingly risky by Canadian investors after the Enron’s bankruptcy. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2003