The study investigates whether the main capital market theories and pricing models provide a reasonably accurate description of the working and efficiency of capital markets, of the pricing of shares and options and the effect the risk/return relationship has on investor behaviour. The capital market theories and pricing models included in the study are Portfolio Theory, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT), Options Theory and the BlackScholes (8-S) Option Pricing Model. The main conclusion of the study is that the main capital market theories and pricing models, as reviewed in the study, do provide a reasonably accurate description of reality, but a number of anomalies and controversial issues still need to be resolved. The main recommendation of the study is that research into these theories and models should continue unabated, while the specific recommendations in a South African context are the following: ( 1) the benefits of global diversification for South African investors should continue to be investigated; (2) the level and degree of efficiency of the JSE Securities Exchange SA (JSE) should continue to be monitored, and it should be established whether alternative theories to the EMH provide complementary or better descriptions of the efficiency of the South African market; (3) both the CAPM and the APT should continue to be tested, both individually and jointly, in order to better understand the pricing mechanism of, and risk/return relationship on the JSE; (4) much South African research still needs to be conducted on the efficiency of the relatively new options market and the application of the B-S Option Pricing Model under South African conditions. / Financial Accounting / M. Com. (Accounting)

The study investigates whether the main capital market theories and pricing models provide a reasonably accurate description of the working and efficiency of capital markets, of the pricing of shares and options and the effect the risk/return relationship has on investor behaviour. The capital market theories and pricing models included in the study are Portfolio Theory, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT), Options Theory and the BlackScholes (8-S) Option Pricing Model. The main conclusion of the study is that the main capital market theories and pricing models, as reviewed in the study, do provide a reasonably accurate description of reality, but a number of anomalies and controversial issues still need to be resolved. The main recommendation of the study is that research into these theories and models should continue unabated, while the specific recommendations in a South African context are the following: ( 1) the benefits of global diversification for South African investors should continue to be investigated; (2) the level and degree of efficiency of the JSE Securities Exchange SA (JSE) should continue to be monitored, and it should be established whether alternative theories to the EMH provide complementary or better descriptions of the efficiency of the South African market; (3) both the CAPM and the APT should continue to be tested, both individually and jointly, in order to better understand the pricing mechanism of, and risk/return relationship on the JSE; (4) much South African research still needs to be conducted on the efficiency of the relatively new options market and the application of the B-S Option Pricing Model under South African conditions. / Financial Accounting / M. Com. (Accounting)

Internationella företag kan idag utsättas för många olika typer av risker i sin verksamhet.Dessa risker kan bland annat kopplas till valutor, räntor samt råvarupriser. I syfte att reduceradessa risker används finansiella instrument som idag behandlas i den internationellaredovisningsstandarden IAS 39 Finansiella instrument, Redovisning och värdering. När ettfinansiellt instrument används i säkringssyfte benämns det säkringsinstrument, och dess värdeförväntas utvecklas i motsatt riktning i förhållande till den post som säkras. För att uppnåmatchning mellan dessa komponenter i redovisningen används säkringsredovisning. Ävensäkringsredovisning behandlas i IAS 39 och sedan denna standard togs i bruk har den fåttmycket kritik för att vara alltför komplex och svår att tillämpa i praktiken. Komplexiteten kanbland annat härledas till de valmöjligheter som standarden erbjuder. I tillägg till detta ärsäkringsredovisning frivilligt att tillämpa och kan dessutom avbrytas.Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur tillämpningen av dagens redovisningsmässiga ochskattemässiga regler kring säkringsredovisning påverkar företag, staten samt aktieägare.Vidare ämnar vi undersöka vilka konsekvenser som uppkommer till följd av hur regler kringsäkringsredovisning tillämpas i praktiken. Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär och består att tretypfall som konstruerats för att visa på hur utvalda intressenter påverkas av dagens regleringarsamt de redovisningsmässiga och skattemässiga problem som kan uppkomma vid tillämpningav säkringsredovisning.Studien visar att kritiken som riktats mot IAS 39 är berättigad. När beskattning avsäkringsarrangemang tas i beaktning träder en ny dimension av komplexitet in i bilden. Dettakan förklaras genom att svenska beskattningsregler och IFRS standarder inte förespråkarsamma värdering av finansiella instrument. Trots att RFR 2 träder in för att reducera dessaskillnader kvarstår det faktum att säkringsredovisning inte fungerar optimalt för ickefinansiellaföretag. Studien visar också att de valmöjligheter som säkringsredovisninginnefattar mer eller mindre påverkar företags intressenter. Företagens beslut gällande omsäkringsredovisning bör tillämpas i företaget eller inte påverkar dess finansiella rapportervilket i förlängning kan inverka på intressenters investeringsbeslut. Valmöjligheterna influeraräven företags beskattning, då de kan ge upphov till arbitragesituationer samt minskade ellermer ojämna skatteinbetalningar.Vår slutsats är att redovisningen och beskattningen av finansiella instrument är så passkomplex att dagens regleringar bör ses över för att uppnå en bättre matchning mellan dessatvå komponenter. / International companies are today exposed to several risks regarding their operations. Theserisks are related to exchange rates, interests rates and commodity prices. In order to reducethese risks companies use financial instruments. Financial instruments are today treated in theInternational Accounting Standard IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition andMeasurement. When financial instruments are used for hedging purposes they are titledhedging instruments, whose changes in value are expected to develop in the opposite directionin relation to the hedged item. In order to achieve a match between these components in thefinancial statements hedge accounting is used. Hedge accounting is treated in IAS 39 andsince this standard was first introduced it has been criticized for being too complex anddifficult to apply in practise. The complexity can be traced to the options the standard offers.In addition to this, hedge accounting is optional and can also be interrupted.The purpose of this study is to examine in what way the application of current accountingrules and Swedish tax rules regarding hedge accounting affect companies, the Swedishgovernment and shareholders. Furthermore, we intend to examine the consequences that ariseas a result of applying hedge accounting in practice. The study is qualitative in nature andcontains three scenarios designed to show how selected stakeholders are affected by thecurrent regulations. The study will also show the accounting and tax implications that mayarise when hedge accounting is applied.The study shows that the criticism levelled against IAS 39 are eligible. When taxation ofhedging arrangements is taken into consideration a new dimension of complexity arises. Thiscan be explained by the fact that Swedish tax rules and IFRS standards do not advocate thesame valuation of financial instruments. Although RFR 2 is applied in order to reduce thesedifferences, the fact remains that hedge accounting is not functioning optimally for nonfinancialcompanies. This study also shows that the options hedge accounting offers havemore or less impact on the stakeholders of the entity. Corporate decisions on whether hedgeaccounting should be applied or not do affect the financial reports of the company, which inextension may influence stakeholders´ investment decisions. The options regarding hedgeaccounting also influence corporate taxation, as they may give rise to arbitrage situations aswell as reduced or more irregular tax payments.The conclusion of this study is that the accounting and tax treatment of financial instrumentsis too complex and current regulations should therefore be reviewed in order to achieve abetter match between these two components.This paper is hereinafter written in Swedish.

Les marchés financiers évoluent plus ou moins rapidement et fortement au gré des différents types d'information diffusés au cours des périodes d'étude. Dans ce contexte, nous cherchons à mesurer l'influence de tous types d'information sur des portefeuilles d'arbitrage systématique " euro neutres " multi-classes d'actifs, issus soit d'une diversification " naïve " (" 1/N ") soit d'une diversification optimale. Dans le cadre de nos recherches sur l'allocation tactique systématique, ces divers flux informationnels sont regroupés sous le terme de données hétérogènes (données de cotation et " autres informations de marché "). Les données de cotation sont des prix de clôture quotidiens d'actifs tandis que les " autres informations de marché " correspondent à trois types d'indicateurs : de conjoncture, de sentiments et de volatilité. Nous mesurons l'impact d'une combinaison de données hétérogènes sur nos portefeuilles d'arbitrage pour une période de tests incluant la crise des subprimes, à l'aide d'analyses de données (ACP) et de techniques probabilistes de quantification vectorielle. L'influence des données hétérogènes sur les portefeuilles d'arbitrage est mesurée notamment au travers d'une hausse de la rentabilité, d'un accroissement du ratio rentabilité/volatilité post crise des subprimes, d'une baisse de la volatilité ou d'une baisse des corrélations entre classes d'actifs. Ces découvertes empiriques permettent d'envisager la prise en compte des " autres informations de marché " comme élément de diversification du risque d'un portefeuille. Nous formalisons des éléments de réponse au défi posé par l'allocation tactique multi-classes d'actifs (Blitz et Vliet, 2008), en intégrant des variables " prédictives " à un processus systématique de market timing qui incorpore de manière quantitative des données hétérogènes.

Cette thèse répond à un double objectif : analyser théoriquement, à l’aide d’un modèle d’arbitrage travail-loisir, la réaction du temps de travail du médecin aux différents modes de rémunération lorsque seul le nombre de consultations et de patients peut faire l’objet d’un contrat entre le médecin et sa tutelle ; et observer empiriquement comment le temps de travail des médecins généralistes français évoluerait suite à une revalorisation du tarif de la consultation si l’on tient compte de leurs différents registres de motivations.Dans la première partie, nous présentons tout d’abord le modèle nous servant de base pour analyser l’offre de travail des médecins généralistes dans différents contextes (chapitre 1). Ensuite, nous montrons comment celui-ci peut être « enrichi » pour analyser les problèmes d’inégalités de santé, à travers le choix du médecin en termes de durée de consultation (chapitre 2). Enfin, nous analysons théoriquement comment l’offre de travail des médecins réagit à un choc de vieillissement de la population, selon le schéma de paiement en vigueur, paiement à l’acte ou capitation (chapitre 3).Dans la seconde partie, nous présentons tout d’abord une revue de littérature retraçant l’émergence du concept de motivation intrinsèque en économie de la santé (chapitre 4). Ensuite, nous regardons comment la théorie standard de l’offre de travail peut intégrer l’interaction possible entre les motivations intrinsèques et extrinsèques (chapitre 5). Enfin,nous cherchons à identifier empiriquement l’existence possible d’un effet contreproductif des incitations économiques sur les motivations intrinsèques, dans le champ de la promotion de la santé (chapitre 6). / This PhD dissertation has a twofold objective: to theoretically analyse, by using a workleisure trade-off model, the sensibility of physician’s working time to different payment systems when only the number of consultations and patients are contractible; and to empirically observe how French GP’s working time would change if consultation fee increased, in the specific case where different range of human motives are considered.The first part is dedicated to the presentation of the main properties of the basic model we use to study the labour supply behaviour of self-employed GPs in various contexts (chapter 1). Then, we show how this model can be ‘fitted’ to deal with the issue of health inequalities through physician’s choice in terms of consultation length (chapter 2). Finally, we theoretically investigate how physicians’ labour supply reacts to a population ageing shock, according to the effective payment scheme - fee-for service or capitation (chapter 3). The second part presents a survey on the emergence of the concept of intrinsic motivations in health economics aiming at specifying the theoretical background with which the remainder of our work is in line (chapter 4). Next, we explore how standard labour supply theory can integrate intrinsic motivations as a key determinant of human behaviour and, more especially, the effect of extrinsic incentives on the former in the field of general practice (chapter 5). Lastly, we intend to check, from an empirical perspective, if economic incentives can have a detrimental effect on intrinsic motivations in the particular field of health promotion, by using two different strategies (chapter 6).

L’encadrement légal particulier de la négociation collective impliquant les pompiers municipaux québécois, malgré sa soumission à certaines règles prévues par le régime général du Code du travail, présente des spécificités qui pourraient en affecter l’efficacité et ainsi contribuer à l’instauration de relations de travail difficiles. Ce mémoire s’attarde aux difficultés associées à ce régime de négociation collective interdisant le recours à la grève et prévoyant son remplacement par un système d’arbitrage obligatoire. L’étude des relations de travail impliquant les pompiers de Montréal ne permet pas, à elle seule, de qualifier ce régime particulier de négociation collective d’alternative inefficace au régime général. Toutefois, ce mémoire met en évidence les limites d’un cadre légal, alors que des facteurs externes au droit, tels que le caractère public de l’employeur et la nature particulière du métier, semblent jouer un rôle déterminant dans la dynamique conflictuelle des relations de travail impliquant des pompiers municipaux. / The particular legal framework of collective bargaining for Quebec’s municipal firemen, despite the fact that it submits to some principles of the general collective bargaining system provided by the Labour Code, presents some particularities that could affect its efficacity and contribute in establishing difficult and conflicting labour relations. This thesis will mostly consider the difficulties associated with this particular legal framework which prohibits strikes, in all circumstances, to the firemen and provide, as an alternative, the resort to compulsory arbitration. The analysis of Montreal firemen’s labour relations can’t allow us to qualify this particular legal framework as an inefficient alternative to the general collective bargaining system. But still, this thesis may show the limits of a legal framework when some external factors, like the public character of the employer or the particular nature of the job, seem to play a major role in the conflicting labor relations implicating firemen.

Different capital regulatory requirements in the bank and insurer markets lead to finding and using of new more complex financial tools linked with capital release and subsequent optimization of the investment objectives, but they are also linked with promises and risk transfers that could cause a collapse or a systemic risk of the financial markets, as evidence by the recent financial crisis. The aim of my work is to examine the behavior of credit default swap spreads on the securitization and reinsurance markets, followed by analyzing arbitrage conditions between securitization and reinsurance markets by cointegration analysis. The thesis focuses on Italy because it is one of four main European players in the securitization market and it has highly developed bank and insurer markets. Moreover, it still faces to consequences of the recent financial crisis that is indicator of strong possible bases for above mentioned complex financial instruments. On the dataset of Top 8 Italian banks and insurer companies in the period 2006 - 2012 I showed by cointegration analysis a presence of just one cointegration relationship between securitization and reinsurance market, therefore I rejected possibility of arbitrage between these markets. But on the other hand, they converge to long term equilibrium slowly...

En dépit des tensions régionales et de l'étroitesse de son marché intérieur, le Liban présente toujours de multiples atouts et le potentiel d'occuper une place pionnière en matière d'investissement international parmi les pays voisins. Pour la mettre effectivement en oeuvre, cette position requiert une volonté politique déterminée à cet effet. Or, cette politique doit nécessairement et impérativement être traduite par l'adoption d'une stratégie nationale de développement en vue de la mise en place d'un régime juridique compétitif favorable à l'investissement étranger de standards internationaux. Le régime juridique libanais actuel relatif aux investissements étrangers ne suffit pas pour achever cet objectif dû aux lacunes structurelles du système administratif et judiciaire. Dans le contexte actuel, les éléments considérés jadis comme facteurs d'attractivité du pays, tels que sa position géographique et son économie de marché libre, commencent à perdre de leur valeur en matière d'investissement international s'ils ne sont pas consolidés par une législation consciente favorisant l'investissement étranger. Aussi méritoires que soient les efforts d'attraction des investissements étrangers, il n'en reste pas moins que le degré d'attractivité du pays reste décevant dû à certains facteurs limitatifs et contraintes (les tensions provoquées par les agitations politiques internes et régionales). Or, ces obstacles semblent être les plus délicats à franchir et constituent sans doute une barrière à l'investissement international. Leur abolition apparaît comme un préalable incontournable pour l'attraction des investissements étrangers au pays. / Any investment project is basically an act of faith on the part of the foreign investors based on the actions of the host State. Despite regional tensions and the narrowness of its domestic market, Lebanon still has many strengths and potential to occupy a pioneer position compared to neighboring countries. However, such a position requires a determined political will which must be reflected by the adoption of a national development strategy for the establishment of a competitive legal regime open to foreign investment and adapted to international standards. In a general context marked by a decline in foreign direct investment, Lebanon must advocate a policy that is attractive and adapted to the needs and expectations of foreign investors. This would require: first, the reform of the current legal environment of foreign investment through the adaptation of the legal corpus, then the implementation of a plan for systematic development based on international standards. Thus, the priority of the Lebanese authorities should consist in ending any possible obstacle in the internal market towards foreign investment. Despite some advantages, the current Lebanese legal regime for foreign investment is not enough to complete this objective due to structural weaknesses of the administrative and judicial systems. The country's degree of attractiveness remains disappointing due to certain limiting factors and constraints (tensions caused by internal and regional political turmoil). These obstacles seem to be the most difficult to overcome. Their abolition appears as a key prerequisite for attracting foreign investment in the country.

The aim of this study is to gather insights into market efficiency and mechanisms that work in the financial markets. It provides a framework with an emphasis on liquidity and the failure of arbitrage that deepens our understanding of various financial crises. Described mechanisms are particularly relevant for the last financial crises - including 2007-2009, LTCM, and dot-com bubble. In the first chapter the concept of efficient markets is introduced. In the second chapter it is challenged from the point of view of noise trader theory and limits of arbitrage. The third chapter deals with market microstructure and liquidity. Last chapter shows importance and adverse effects of externalities, particularly of those causing liquidity spirals.

This study investigates the return generating process underlying the South African stock market. The investigation of the return generating process is framed within the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) framework with the APT reinterpreted so as to provide a conceptual framework within which the return generating process can be investigated. In modelling the return generating process, the properties of South African stock returns are taken into consideration and an appropriate econometric framework in the form of Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (ARCH) and Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) models is applied. Results indicate that the return generating process of South African stock returns is described by innovations in multiple risk factors representative of several risk categories. The multifactor model of the return generating process explains a substantial amount of variation in South African stock returns and the ARCH/GARCH methodology is an appropriate econometric framework for the estimation of models of the return generating process. The APT framework is successfully applied to model and investigate the return generating process of South African stock returns.