<p>Background:</p><p>The efficient market hypothesis states that it is not possible to consistently outperform the overall stock market by stock picking and market timing. This is because, in an efficient market, all stock prices are at their correct level, and there are no over- or undervalued stocks. Nevertheless, deviations from true price can occur according to the hypothesis, but when they do they are always random. Thus, the only way an investor can perform better than the overall stock market is by being lucky. However, the efficient market hypothesis is very controversial. It is often discussed within the area of modern financial theory and there are strong arguments both for and against it.</p><p>Purpose:</p><p>The purpose of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to outperform the overall stock market by investing in stocks that are undervalued according to the enterprise multiple (EV/EBITDA), and the price-earnings ratio.</p><p>Realization of the Study:</p><p>Portfolios were constructed based on information from five years, 2001 to 2005. Each year two portfolios were put together, one of them consisting of the six stocks with the lowest price-earnings ratio, and the other consisting of the six stocks with the lowest EV/EBITDA. Each portfolio was kept for one year and the unadjusted returns as well as the risk adjusted returns of the portfolios were compared to the returns on the two indexes OMXS30 and AFGX. The sample consisted of the 30 most traded stocks on the Nordic Stock Exchange in Stockholm 2006.</p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>The study shows that it is possible to outperform the overall stock market by investing in undervalued stocks according the price-earnings ratio and the EV/EBITDA. This indicates that the market is not efficient, even in its weak form.</p>

Background: The efficient market hypothesis states that it is not possible to consistently outperform the overall stock market by stock picking and market timing. This is because, in an efficient market, all stock prices are at their correct level, and there are no over- or undervalued stocks. Nevertheless, deviations from true price can occur according to the hypothesis, but when they do they are always random. Thus, the only way an investor can perform better than the overall stock market is by being lucky. However, the efficient market hypothesis is very controversial. It is often discussed within the area of modern financial theory and there are strong arguments both for and against it. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to outperform the overall stock market by investing in stocks that are undervalued according to the enterprise multiple (EV/EBITDA), and the price-earnings ratio. Realization of the Study: Portfolios were constructed based on information from five years, 2001 to 2005. Each year two portfolios were put together, one of them consisting of the six stocks with the lowest price-earnings ratio, and the other consisting of the six stocks with the lowest EV/EBITDA. Each portfolio was kept for one year and the unadjusted returns as well as the risk adjusted returns of the portfolios were compared to the returns on the two indexes OMXS30 and AFGX. The sample consisted of the 30 most traded stocks on the Nordic Stock Exchange in Stockholm 2006. Conclusion: The study shows that it is possible to outperform the overall stock market by investing in undervalued stocks according the price-earnings ratio and the EV/EBITDA. This indicates that the market is not efficient, even in its weak form.

Un marché efficient permet de définir le prix d’un bien, pour des quantités échangées, qui reflète la valeur donnée par les acteurs économiques. Cette valeur est objective dans la théorie classique, ou intrinsèque. Or, la valeur intrinsèque apparaît parfois déconnectée d’une valeur sociale. Il y a donc un problème de définition de la valeur, qui s’exprime notamment sur les marchés financiers. S'agissant de titres financiers, cette valeur est ce qui est mesuré subjectivement au travers d'une échelle de valeur dont la norme est donnée par le leader du marché. Ce leader est reconnu comme le vainqueur d'une lutte, appelée agôn, et se repère par une croissance de son cours (effet agonistique), une baisse des volumes échangés (effet d'allégeance) et un kurtosis élevé (effet mimétique). Nous pouvons alors proposer des aides à la décision pour l’investisseur à partir d’une théorie agonistique de la valeur. / An efficient market gives the right price of any product, with exchanged quantities, reflecting the value given by sellers and buyers. This value is defined as objective, or intrinsic in classical economic approach. This intrinsic value may be disconnected from a social value. It means there is a problem to define the value especially on financial markets. On those financial markets, value is what has to be measured, subjectively on a value scale given by the market leader. This leader is the winner of a fight, called agôn, and its stock price is growing (agonistic effect), the quantities of stocks exchanged are dropping (allegiance effect), with a high kurtosis (mimetic effect). We could propose to any investor some decision-making aid through an agonistic value theory.

Background: In an inefficient market, the intrinsic value of an asset may not be equal to its true market value. Therefore, before engaging in a stock transaction, both the seller and the buyer would want to know the intrinsic value of the stock as neither would want to lose money during the process. An effective valuation model enabling investors to efficiently determine firm values is therefore considered to be a crucial factor. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the free cash flow to equity (FCFE) approach and the dividend discount model (DDM) on 30 Swedish companies. This to conclude if they are considered to be accurate valuation models and to determine if one of the methods gives a more accurate estimation of the companies’ share prices than the other. Additionally, the report will examine if one model is preferred for a specific sector and if a payout ratio exists where the DDM generates a particularly realistic valuation. Method: A database will be produced to estimate share prices for each company using both the FCFE approach and the DDM over five consecutive years. The accuracy of the models will be evaluated by dividing the projected share prices with their corresponding actual stock prices to calculate the percentage deviations. The smaller the percentage deviation, the more accurate is the estimated share price considered to be. Conclusion: It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the FCFE approach and the DDM produce accurate valuations for Swedish companies. It is difficult to determine that one is preferred over the other altogether, instead the FCFE approach is preferred in some cases and the DDM in others. This depends on the companies’ actual stock prices, which industry the companies operate in and the amount the companies are assumed to pay out as dividends.

Prior studies examining the impact of monetary policy instruments on the equity market have produced mixed results. This problem is important to address because of the substantial impact of monetary policy on the economy and economic resource allocation via the equity market. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of change in money supply (M2), change in Federal Funds Rate (FFR), and change in Federal Funds Futures (FFF) on the expected rate of returns of publicly traded companies while controlling for the rate of return of the whole equity market and size of the sampled companies. The capital asset pricing model formed the theoretical foundation. The research questions addressed the significance of the monetary policy instruments M2, FFR, and FFF on the expected rate of returns of publicly traded companies. The research design was ex post facto. To answer the research questions, annual data were collected for the period of January 2005 through January 2015 for the rate of return on the overall equity market, rate of return on stocks of 90 publicly traded companies, size of the sample companies, M2, FFR, and FFF. A multiple regression showed a positive effect of market rate of return and company size, a positive moderation effect of M2, and a negative moderation and mediation effect of FFR and FFF on the expected rate of returns of publicly traded companies (p < .05). These findings could have positive social change implications in that they may help individual and institutional investors in their investment decision making, leading to better allocation of economic resources. The findings may also assist monetary policy authorities in assessing the impact of monetary policy on the equity market and thus preempting stock market crashes.

The Chinese stock market has experienced tremendous growth and development over the past years. It is now the second largest stock market in Asia (after Japan). The increasing numbers of stock investors and the generally upward trend of the local stock indexes transform the Chinese stock market into one of the most actively traded stock market. This study examined the “pricing errors” of the Chinese stock market. The intrinsic values of equities, which can be compared to actual index prices, were estimated using the dividend discount model. Using a database of daily dividend based index prices of Shanghai composite index 180 and Shenzhen composite index 100 from July 2002 to June 2005, our study shows the stocks were undervalued during the sample period, on average, by approximately 0.09% and 1% for Shanghai and Shenzhen composite indexes respectively. The result reveals during July 2002- June 2005, the Chinese stock markets were close to the real value. Another objective of this study is to examine the impact of the economic conditions on the “pricing errors” of Chinese stock market. We find that the Chinese stock markets are much price momentum driven. The relationships of the economic factors and the deviation between the estimated cost of equity (based on CAPM) and the implied cost of equity (based on the actual index prices) showed similar results. We conclude that the Chinese stock markets do not sufficiently reveal local economic conditions.

Investerare har blivit alltmer intresserade av hållbara investeringar som stöttar rättigheter för alla människor. I och med Parisavtalet, klimatförändringar och George Floyds död har ett uppsving för hållbarhet fått ESG att ligga högst upp på agendan både för investerare, företag och myndigheter. Denna studie har genom en kvantitativ metod undersökt ESG´s påverkan på risk och lönsamhet under år 2021 inom OMX Stockholm 30. Resultatet tyder på att ett högre ESG-betyg leder till minskad risk i form av volatilitet samt ett skiftande tankesätt hos investerare som grundar sig i ökade klimatförändringar och sociala orättvisor som uppmärksammades under 2021. Resultatet visar även att ett högre ESG-betyg leder till fler långsiktiga investeringar. Dessutom har studien identifierat att olika sektorer satsar olika mycket och på olika delar inom ESG, vilket studien pekar på främst beror på vilka krav sektorerna har från marknaden och från sina investerare. / Investors are becoming more interested in sustainable investments. The Paris-agreement, climate change and George Floyds death made ESG become a relevant topic for future sustainable investments, this applies for investors as well as companies and government. This study has carried out a quantitative method to investigate the impact ESG has on risk and profitability in 2021 within OMX Stockholm 30. The results indicate that a higher ESG-rating leads to reduced risk known as volatility as well as changing the mindset of investors due to increased climate change and social injustice that were brought to attention in 2021. In addition, a higher ESG rating also leads to more long-term investments. The study has identified that different sectors invest differently and in different parts of the ESG, which mainly depends on the requirements of the sectors from the market and their investors.

The principal aim of the thesis is to suggest a follow-up procedure for a bank's stock valuation for investors and to help them make a decision about the prospects of buying or selling bank shares. The particular strategic and fundamental factors influencing the intrinsic value of a bank are described in detail. Special attention is paid to determining the intrinsic value of the banks' brand. An example of particular methods of determining the intrinsic value of a bank's stock is given in the last chapter where the intrinsic value of the biggest Russian bank Sberbank Rossii is calculated with a decision at the end on whether the market pricing is correct.

In this paper we examine the short and long-term relations between stock price, book value and residual income.  We employ a panel error correction model, estimated with Engle &amp; Granger’s (1987) two-step procedure and the single equation methodology. The models are estimated with FE-OLS and the MG-estimator. We find that stock prices adjust previous periods equilibrium error. Further, we find that book value has short and long-term effects on stock prices. Finally, this paper finds mixed results regarding residual incomes impact on stock prices. The MG-estimator finds evidence for a short-term relationship, while the FE-OLS provides insignificant or weak support for short-term effects. FE-OLS and MG-estimator find insignificant or weak support regarding residual incomes long-term effects.

Electricity is an essential good, which can hardly be replaced. It can be produced thanks to a wide rangeof sources, from coal to nuclear, not to mention renewables such as wind and solar. In order to meetdemand at the lowest cost, an optimisation is made on electricity markets between the differentproduction plants. This optimisation mainly relies on the electricity production cost of each technology.In order to include long-term constraints in the short-term optimisation, a so-called use value (oropportunity cost) can be computed and added to the production cost. One long-term constraint thatEDF, the main French electricity producer, is facing is that its gas plants cannot exceed a given numberof operation hours and starts between two maintenances. A specific software, DiMOI, computes usevalues for this double constraint but its parameters needs to be tested in order to improve thecomputation, as it is not thought to work properly.DiMOI relies on dynamic programming and more particularly on an algorithm called Bellman algorithm.The software has been tested with EDF R&amp;D department in order to propose some modellingimprovements. Electricity and gas market prices, together with real plant parameters such as startingcosts, operating costs and yields, were used as inputs for this work, and the results were checkedagainst reality.This study gave some results but they appeared to be invalid. Indeed, an optimisation problem wasdiscovered in DiMOI computing core: on a deterministic context, a study with little degrees of freedomwas giving better profits than a study with more degrees of freedom. This problem origin was notfound precisely with a first investigation, and the R&amp;D team expected the fixing time to be very long.The adaptation of a simpler tool (MaStock) was proposed and made in order to replace DiMOI. Thisproject has thus led to DiMOI giving up and its replacement by MaStock. Time was missing to testcorrectly this tool, and the first study which was made was not completely positive. Further studiesshould be carried out, for instance deterministic ones (using real past data) whose results could becompared to reality.Some complementary studies were made from a fictitious system, in order to study the impact of someparameters when computing use values and operations schedules. The conclusions of these studiesare the little impacts that changes in gas prices and start-up costs parameters have on the global resultsand the importance of an accurate choice in the time periods durations used for the computations.Unfortunately these conclusions might be too specific as they were made on short study periods.Further case studies should be done in order to reach more general conclusions.