Η παρούσα μελέτη εξετάζει τη δυναμική σχέση μεταξύ των τιμών των ζωοτροφών και παραγωγού, καταναλωτή για τέσσερα είδη κρέατος: μοσχάρι, χοιρινό, αρνί και κοτόπουλο. Η σχετική βιβλιογραφία δείχνει ότι πολλοί παράγοντες επιδρούν στις τιμές των αγροτικών προϊόντων αλλά οι τιμές των ζωοτροφών είναι ο κυριότερος. Αυτό συμβαίνει γιατί οι ζωοτροφές αποτελούν πρώτη ύλη για την παραγωγή κρέατος και κατ΄επέκταση θα επηρέασουν τις τιμές παραγωγού και καταναλωτή. Τα δεδομένα αποτελούνται από 279 μηνιαίες τιμές που εκτείνονται από τον Ιανουάριο 1990 έως τον Ιανουάριο 2013. Χρησιμοποιώντας Johansen cointegration tests, Granger causality tests και impulse response functions τα εμπειρικά αποτελέσματα επιβεβαιώνουν πως οι τιμές των ζωοτροφών, οι τιμές παραγωγού και οι τιμές καταναλωτή δεν είναι ανεξάρτητες μεταξύ τους. / The present paper studies the relationship among feed prices, producer prices and consumer prices of meat: beef, pork, poultry and lamb. The literature indicates that there are many factors which affect agricultural commodity prices but the feed prices are the main. This is why feed has a principal role in the production of meat and will affect producer and consumer prices. The data consists of 279 monthly observations extending from January 1990 to January 2013. Using Johansen cointegration tests, Granger causality tests and impulse response functions, the empirical findings confirm that feed prices, consumer prices and producer prices are interdependent.

The supervising institutions do not give to commercial banks indications what models have to be used for stress testing. This research was done in order to find out which mathematical/statistical models are and can be used in credit risk stress testing. Credit risk is one of the biggest financial risks that every bank faces. Stress testing is a tool of credit risk assessment that helps to estimate the consequences of the events that have really small probability to happen but if they occur, banks can have significant losses. This study determined that the most plausible event is adverse macroeconomic conditions. For this reason, models that include macroeconomic impact were presented. Vector autoregression and vector error correction model were tested using the empirical data received from Swedish central bank, Swedish statistics and Eurostat. For financial stability it is worth using vector autoregression or vector error correction model as they describe the macroeconomic environment in the most suitable way and they are appropriate for shock analysis by showing how the impact of any factor can change the whole system. Structure: introduction, main part (credit risk, methods and empirical analysis), publication, conclusions, references. Thesis consists of: 50 p. text without appendices, 13 pictures, 11 tables, 26 bibliographical entries. Appendices included. / Kredito įstaigų priežiūros institucijos nepateikia komerciniams bankams kokius metodus jie turėtų naudoti testavime nepalankiomis sąlygomis. Tiriamasis darbas buvo atliktas tuo tikslu, kad būtų išsiaiškinta kokie matematiniai ir statistiniai metodai yra ir gali būti naudojami kredito rizikos vertinime testuojant nepalankiomis sąlygomis. Kredito rizika yra viena iš didžiausių finansinių rizikų su kuria bankai susiduria. Testavimas nepalankiomis sąlygomis yra kredito rizikos vertinimo įrankis, padedantis nustatyti įvykių, kurių realizavimosi tikimybės yra mažos, tačiau jiems įvykus, bankai patirtų reikšmingus nuostolius, pasekmes. Šis tyrimas nustatė, jog labiausiai tikėtinas įvykis gali būti ypatingai nepalankios ekonominės sąlygos. Dėl šios priežasties darbe yra pristatyti metodai, kurie įvertina makroekonominių veiksnių įtaką. Vektorinė autoregresija ir vektorinis paklaidų korekcijos modelis buvo patikrinti naudojant Švedijos centrinio banko, Švedijos statistikos departamento ir Eurostat empirinius duomenis. Finansinio stabilumo įvertinimui vertėtų naudoti vektorinį autoregresijos ar vektorinį paklaidų korekcijos modelius, nes šie modeliai geriausiai aprašo ekonominę aplinką bei yra labai tinkami šokų analizei, kadangi įvertina bet kurio veiksnio įtaką visai sistemai. Struktūra: įvadas, pagrindinė dalis (kredito rizika, metodai ir empirinė analizė), publikacija, išvados, literatūros sąrašas. Tiriamasis darbas sudarytas iš: 50 psl. teksto be priedų, 13 paveikslų, 11... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

To achieve economic development, regional authorities have to address issues that relate to climate change, efficient information flow in the market place, and health care. This dissertation presents three essays on current issues of concern to economic development in Africa. Climate change is examined in terms of its effects on the Egyptian agricultural sector; transmission of world price to small scale growers is examined in Uganda; and the benefits of insecticide-treated bed nets use is examined in Africa. In essay I, to address the impact of climate change on the Egyptian agricultural sector under alternative population growth rates, water use and crop yield assumption; the Egyptian Agricultural Sector Model (EASM) is updated and expanded to improve hydrological modeling and used to portray agricultural activity and hydrological flow. The results indicate that climate change will cause damages (costs) to the Egyptian agricultural sector and these will increase over time. Egypt may reduce these future damages by controlling its population growth rate and using water conservation strategies. In essay II, I use vector autoregressive analysis to examine the transmissions of price information to Uganda coffee growers; using monthly coffee price data on retail, futures, farmgate and world prices from 1994 to 2010. Improved transmission of world prices to farmers may increase their decision making to obtain a better market price. Directed acyclic graphs reveal that there is a causal flow of information from the indicator price to the London futures price to the Uganda grower?s price in contemporaneous time. Forecast error variance decomposition indicates that at moving ahead 12 months, the uncertainty in Uganda grower price is attributable to the indicator price (world spot price), own price (farmgate), London future and Spain retail price in rank order. In essay III, the cost of malaria in children under five years and the use of insecticide treated bed nets is examined in the context of 18 countries in Africa. I examine the direct and indirect cost of malaria in children under five years and the benefit of investing in insecticide treated mosquito nets as a preventative strategy in 18 African countries. The results indicate that the use of mosquito treated nets reduces the number of malaria cases in children; and this can induce 0.5% reduction in outpatient treatment costs, 11% reduction in inpatient treatment costs, 11% reduction in productivity loss, and 15% reduction in disability adjusted life years (DALY) annually.

The aim of this study is to get some approach which can help in improving the predictions of daily temperature of Umeå. Weather forecasts are available through various sources nowadays. There are various software and methods available for time series forecasting. Our aim is to investigate the daily maximum temperatures of Umeå, and compare the performance of some methods in forecasting these temperatures. Here we analyse the data of daily maximum temperatures and find the predictions for some local period using methods of autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), exponential smoothing (ETS), and cubic splines.  The forecast package in R is used for this purpose and automatic forecasting methods available in the package are applied for modelling with ARIMA, ETS, and cubic splines. The thesis begins with some initial modelling on univariate time series of daily maximum temperatures. The data of daily maximum temperatures of Umeå from 2008 to 2013 are used to compare the methods using various lengths of training period. On the basis of accuracy measures we try to choose the best method. Keeping in mind the fact that there are various factors which can cause the variability in daily temperature, we try to improve the forecasts in the next part of thesis by using multivariate time series forecasting method on the time series of maximum temperatures together with some other variables. Vector auto regressive (VAR) model from the vars package in R is used to analyse the multivariate time series. Results: ARIMA is selected as the best method in comparison with ETS and cubic smoothing splines to forecast one-step-ahead daily maximum temperature of Umeå, with the training period of one year. It is observed that ARIMA also provides better forecasts of daily temperatures for the next two or three days. On the basis of this study, VAR (for multivariate time series) does not help to improve the forecasts significantly. The proposed ARIMA with one year training period is compatible with the forecasts of daily maximum temperature of Umeå obtained from Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).

Submitted by Ricardo Barão (ricardorbarao@gmail.com) on 2015-10-22T17:20:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Barão - Thesis - Br.pdf: 1029409 bytes, checksum: c798d4c5b758b979c5d388783dbf989a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br) on 2015-10-22T17:32:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Barão - Thesis - Br.pdf: 1029409 bytes, checksum: c798d4c5b758b979c5d388783dbf989a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-23T11:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Barão - Thesis - Br.pdf: 1029409 bytes, checksum: c798d4c5b758b979c5d388783dbf989a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Este trabalho tem como objectivo compreender de que forma os investidores veem as energias renováveis: se as veem como parte do sector tecnológico, à espera de novos desenvolvimentos, ou como uma alternativa aos métodos existentes de produção de energia. Para responder a esta questão, foi desenvolvido um modelo de vectores autoregressivos com quatro variáveis de forma a se poder aplicar um Granger causality test e Impulse Response function. Os resultados sugerem que para o período de 2002-2007 à escala global ambas as hipóteses se confirmam, porém de 2009-2014 os resultados sugerem que os investidores não reconhecem as energias renováveis como um ramo do sector tecnológico, neste período. Para além disso, durante o período de 2009-2014, e quando comparados investidores Americanos com Europeus, os resultados sugerem que apenas o último identifica as energias renováveis como uma fonte viável para a produção energética. / This work aimed to understand the investor perception on clean energy: if it is seen as part of the technology sector, awaiting new developments, or as an alternative to the existing energy production methods. To answer this question, a four variable vector autoregression model was developed so that a Granger causality test and Impulse response function could be applied. The results suggest that while both hypotheses were confirmed worldwide for the period 2002-2007, from 2009 to 2014 results suggest that investors do not recognize the field of clean energy as part of the technology sector. Moreover, during the period that ranges from 2009 to 2014, and when comparing the American investor with the European investor, only the latter identifies renewable energy as a viable source of energy production.

The causal relationship between financial development and economic growth is a controversial issue. For developing countries, empirical studies have provided mixed result. This study seeks to empirically explore the relationship and the causal link between financial development and economic growth in two sub-Saharan African countries between 1970 and 2006. The empirical investigation is carried out using time methods and the five most commonly used indicators of financial development in the literature. However, the causal relationship was carried out using two different methods which are the autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing (ARDL) and the vector error correction model (VECM). Using this above methodology the study first found that in both countries there is a positive and long-term relationship between all the indicators of financial development and economic growth which was proxied by the real per capita GDP. With respect to the causality test, the two methods used provide mixed results especially in South Africa. In Cameroon the study found that financial development causes economic growth using the two methods, whereas in South Africa economic growth causes financial development when the VECM method is used, while there is an independence relationship between the two variables in South Africa when using ARDL. / Economics / M.Comm. (Economics)

It has long been accepted that changes in monetary policy have real economic effects; however, the mechanism by which these policy changes are transmitted to the real economy has been the subject of much debate. Traditionally the transmission mechanism of monetary policy has consisted of various channels which include the money channel, the asset price channel and the exchange rate channel. Recent developments in economic theory have led to a relatively new channel of policy transmission, termed the credit channel. The credit channel consists of the bank lending channel as well as the balance sheet channel, and focuses on the demand for credit as the variable of interest. The credit channel is based on the notion that demanders and suppliers of credit face asymmetric information problems which create a gap between the cost of external funds and the cost of internally generated funds, referred to as the wedge. The aim here is to determine the size and lag length effects of changes in credit demand, by both firms as well as households, as a result of changes in interest rates. A secondary, but subordinate, aim is to test for a balance sheet channel of monetary policy transmission. A vector autoregressive (VAR) model is used in conjunction with causality tests, impulse response functions and variance decompositions to achieve the stated objectives. Results indicate that the interest rate elasticity of credit demand, for both firms and households, is interest inelastic and therefore the monetary policy authorities have a limited ability to influence credit demand in the short as well as medium term. In light of the second aim, only weak evidence of a balance sheet channel of policy transmission is found.

This study examines the dynamic relationship between changes in oil prices and the economic policy uncertainty index for a sample of both net oil-exporting and net oil-importing countries over the period 1997:01-2013:06. To achieve that, we extend the Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012) dynamic spillover index using structural decomposition. The results reveal that economic policy uncertainty (oil price shocks) responds negatively to aggregate demand oil price shocks (economic policy uncertainty shocks). Furthermore, during the Great Recession of 2007-2009, total spillovers increase considerably, reaching unprecedented heights. Moreover, in net terms, economic policy uncertainty becomes the dominant transmitter of shocks between 1997 and 2009, while in the post-2009 period there is a significant role for supply-side and oil specific demand shocks, as net transmitters of spillover effects. These results are important for policy makers, as well as, investors interested in the oil market. (authors' abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

This study examines the dynamic relationship between changes in oil prices and the economic policy uncertainty index for a sample of both net oil-exporting and net oil-importing countries over the period 1997:01-2013:06. To achieve that, an extension of the Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012) dynamic spillover index based on structural decomposition is employed. The results reveal that economic policy uncertainty (oil price shocks) responds negatively to aggregate demand oil price shocks (economic policy uncertainty shocks). Furthermore, during the Great Recession of 2007-2009, total spillovers increase considerably, reaching unprecedented heights. Moreover, in net terms, economic policy uncertainty becomes the dominant transmitter of shocks between 1997 and 2009, while in the post-2009 period there is a significant role for supply-side and oil specific demand shocks, as net transmitters of spillover effects. These results are important for policy makers, as well as, investors interested in the oil market. (authors' abstract)

The goal of the diploma thesis: "Fundamental analysis of RWE AG title" is to determine an intrinsic value of the RWE AG share using detail analysis. The first -- theoretical -- part deals with financial environment where the title is being traded and quoted. This part characterised german indices, mainly index DAX 30, because its component is also RWE AG share. The electronic system Xetra is described here as well. Fundamental analysis itself - including global, sector and enterprise analysis - is the subject of the second section. At the end of this work, the intrinsic value is evaluated and subsequently the forecast is outlined.