Theoreticians and practitioners consider regulation of the capital marketplace to be an important area of concern due to the potential effects of such regulation on capital resource allocation, investment decision-making, and market efficiency. It is hypothesized that if the level of issue quality required by a state prior to public sale supplies investor benefits, such benefits should take the form of excess returns and/or less variation in return in relation to issues complying with lower standards of quality. The study utilizes an Analysis of Variance and, an analysis of average and cumulative average residuals. Both investigations provide findings that merit regulation is beneficial to new investors increased market efficiency.

This study had two basic objectives. The first was to determine the stock market reactions to the pension policy deliberations. The second was to further our understanding of the significance of the FASB's due process. The author selected 13 critical events that preceded passage of SFAS No. 87 and designed a quasi experiment to examine the stock market reaction around the above events. Two portfolios were constructed to test the hypotheses. The first portfolio consisted of firms in the experimental group (firms sponsoring a defined benefit pension plan) and the second portfolio consisted of firms in the control group (firms sponsoring a defined contribution pension plan). The two portfolios were matched on the basis of SIC code, debt to equity ratio and assets.

This study provides information about convertible preferreds generally and, in particular, those used in financing mergers during the period 1968-1984. Specifically, the following topics are examined: (1) traditional corporate motives for the use of convertible preferreds as a financing means in mergers and acquisitions, (2) annual data about convertible preferreds' issuance by volume and purpose for the period 1968-1984, (3) average annual returns of merger-related convertible preferreds and average annual returns of common stock of the same companies for the period 1968-1980, (4) performance of convertible preferreds in relation to the market in general, and (5) the future of convertible preferreds as a financing instrument in merger activity.

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In this thesis, extensive research regarding the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the stock market is carried out. For this purpose the two largest stock markets in the world, namely the US and Japan, are chosen. As a proxy for the US stock market we use the S&P500 and for Japan the Nikkei225. Although there are many empirical investigations of the US stock market, Japan has lagged behind. Especially the severe boom and bust sequence in Japan is unique in the developed world in recent economic history and it is important to shed more light on the causes of this development. First, we investigate the long-run relationship between selected macroeconomic variables and the stock market in a cointegration framework. As expected, we can support existing findings in the US, whereas Japan does not follow the same relationships as the US. Further econometric analysis reveals a structural break in Japan in the early 1990s. Before that break, the long-run relationship is comparable to the US, whereas after the break this relationship breaks down. We believe that a liquidity trap in a deflationary environment might have caused the normal relationship to break down. Secondly, we increase the variable set and apply a non-linear estimation technique to investigate non-linear behaviour between macroeconomic variables and the stock market. We find the non-linear models to have better in and out of sample performance than the appropriate linear models. Thirdly, we test a particular non-linear model of noise traders that interact with arbitrage traders in the dividend yield for the US and Japanese stock market. A two-regime switching model is supported with an inner random or momentum regime and an outer mean reversion regime. Overall, we recommend investors and policymakers to be aware that a liquidity trap in a deflationary environment could also cause severe downturn in the US if appropriate measures are not implemented accordingly.

The purpose of the present research paper was three fold. First, determine if there is a trade interdependence between the United States and Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Baltic States). Second, determine if there is correlation between the respective equity markets. Third, determine if the changes in the trade relations lead to the changes in stock market correlations. The hypothesis of the project was that weaker trade relations between two countries would lead to lower correlation between their stock markets, providing beneficial opportunities for portfolio diversification. The overall objective is to ascertain if Nordic markets are good targets to hedge portfolio risk for U.S. investors, and if the risks of investing in these markets would be rewarded by the higher returns.

The thesis examined the differences between the Chinese market, a fast-growing emerging market, and that of the United States, a well-known developed market. In order to understand the overall performance of the Chinese stock market, the research compared the risk and returns characteristics of Chinese stock markets using the S & P 500 Index for the 2000-2005 period. Findings show that significant differences exist between the Chinese and the U.S. markets. The thesis also attempted to identify the characteristics of the Chinese markets that hinder their efficiency.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Mathematics

The results of this thesis suggest that investors should invest in portfolios consisting of the Standard and Poor's 500, the Ten Composite Index and the ten founding stock exchanges, rather than only invest in either the ten founding stock exchanges or Standard and Poor's 500.

This thesis focuses on the stocks in two major stock exchanges in China: the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In order to understand the overall performance of the Chinese stock markets, the research compares the performance among Chinese stock markets, other emerging stock markets, and the S&P 500 Index during the 1990's.