[In this article, we characterize economies in which both cash flows and forward prices follow random walks. We show in the case of geometric random walks that the preferences of the representative investor are of the constant proportional risk-aversion type. We also show the conditions under which spot prices follow random walks and under which the equivalent martingale measure is non-state-dependent.]

This paper values options on assets whose returns, over a finite interval of time, are generated by a binomial process. It shows that a simple valuation relationship, between the option and the underlying stock, obtains if investors have preference functions that belong to a particular class, even if opportunities to hedge do not exist. One particular application of the theory is in the case where the stock price over a finite interval could increase by an amount, fall by the same amount, or stay at the same level. The results in this paper may be viewed as the foundation of the preference-based approaches to obtaining a risk neutral valuation relationship.

This note shows that a linear market model is sufficient to derive a linear relationship between beta and expected return. Furthermore, the slope of the relationship will be identical with that of the Capital Asset Pricing Model if the return on the market portfolio is normally distributed. However, results from characterization theory suggest that the linear market model assumption is close to that of multivariate normality.

R. C. Stapleton, M. G. Subrahmanyam, Market Imperfections, Capital Market Equilibrium and Corporation Finance, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 32, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the American Finance Association, Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 16-18, 1976 (May, 1977), pp. 307-319

The past twenty years have seen great theoretical and empirical advances in the field of corporate finance. Whereas once the subject addressed mainly the financing of corporations--equity, debt, and valuation--today it also embraces crucial issues of governance, liquidity, risk management, relationships between banks and corporations, and the macroeconomic impact of corporations. However, this progress has left in its wake a jumbled array of concepts and models that students are often hard put to make sense of. Here, one of the world's leading economists offers a lucid, unified, and comprehensive introduction to modern corporate finance theory. Jean Tirole builds his landmark book around a single model, using an incentive or contract theory approach. Filling a major gap in the field, The Theory of Corporate Finance is an indispensable resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate students as well as researchers of corporate finance, industrial organization, political economy, development, and macroeconomics. Tirole conveys the organizing principles that structure the analysis of today's key management and public policy issues, such as the reform of corporate governance and auditing; the role of private equity, financial markets, and takeovers; the efficient determination of leverage, dividends, liquidity, and risk management; and the design of managerial incentive packages. He weaves empirical studies into the book's theoretical analysis. And he places the corporation in its broader environment, both microeconomic and macroeconomic, and examines the two-way interaction between the corporate environment and institutions. Setting a new milestone in the field, The Theory of Corporate Finance will be the authoritative text for years to come.

CAPITAL BUDGETING. The Goal of the Firm. Capital Budgeting: An Overview. The Economic Evaluation of Investment Proposals. Net Present Value Versus Internal Rate of Return. Using Cash Flows to Evaluate Investments. Traditional Measures of Investment Worth. Managing Working Capital. RISK AND UNCERTAINTY. Foundations of Risk Analysis. Measuring Risk. Applications of Risk Analysis. Decreasing Risk by Diversification: The Portfolio Approach. The Capital Asset Pricing Model and Arbitrage Pricing Theory. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL DECISIONS. Financial Leverage. Capital Structure and Valuation. Bankruptcy Risk and the Choice of Financial Structure. Defining the Cost of Capital. Measuring the Cost of Capital. Dividend Policy. Options and Futures. The Lease or Buy Decision. Mergers. International Financial Management. Appendices. Index.