The authors estimate and compare a variety of continuous-time models of the short-term riskless rate using the Generalized Method of Moments. The authors find that the most successful models in capturing the dynamics of the short-term interest rate are those that allow the volatility of interest rate changes to be highly sensitive to the level of the riskless rate. A number of well-known models perform poorly in the comparisons because of their implicit restrictions on term structure volatility. They show that these results have important implications for the use of different term structure models in valuing interest rate contingent claims and in hedging interest rate risk. Coauthors are Andrew Karolyi, Francis A. Longstaff, and Anthony B. Sanders.

ABSTRACT We characterize the conditions under which efficient portfolios put small weights on individual assets. These conditions bound mean returns with measures of average absolute covariability between assets. The bounds clarify the relationship between linear asset pricing models and well‐diversified efficient portfolios. We argue that the extreme weightings in sample efficient portfolios are due to the dominance of a single factor in equity returns. This makes it easy to diversify on subsets to reduce residual risk, while weighting the subsets to reduce factor risk simultaneously. The latter involves taking extreme positions. This behavior seems unlikely to be attributable to sampling error.

We characterize the conditions under which efficient portfolios put small weights on individual assets. These conditions bound mean returns with measures of average absolute covariability between assets. The bounds clarify the relationship between linear asset pricing models and well-diversified efficient portfolios. We argue that the extreme weightings in sample efficient portfolios are due to the dominance of a single factor in equity returns. This makes it easy to diversify on subsets to reduce residual risk, while weighting the subsets to reduce factor risk simultaneously. The latter involves taking extreme positions. This behavior seems unlikely to be attributable to sampling error.

The authors characterize the conditions under which efficient portfolios put small weights on individual assets. These conditions bound mean returns with measures of average absolute covariability between assets. The bounds clarify the relationship between linear asset pricing models and well-diversified efficient portfolios. The authors argue that the extreme weightings in sample efficient portfolios are due to the dominance of a single factor in equity returns. This makes it easy to diversify on subsets to reduce residual risk, while weighing the subsets to reduce factor risk simultaneously. The latter involves taking extreme positions. This behavior seems unlikely to be attributable to sampling error.

ABSTRACT This study shows the extent to which deviations from the absolute priority rule increase or decrease the bankruptcy emergence payoff to traded (i.e., usually junior claimants) bondholders. The data indicate that, on average, bondholders benefit, albeit slightly, from absolute priority rule (APR) violations. This paper also examines the degree to which the bond market, in the bankruptcy filing month, anticipates departures from the APR and other influences on the payoff to bondholders. In other words, we investigate the informational efficiency of the market for bankrupt bonds. Overall, despite the complex and lengthy nature of bankruptcy proceedings, the results support efficiency.

This paper investigates whether managers rely on dividends to obtain a higher price in a stock offering and whether the stock price reaction to dividend and offering announcements justifies such a coordination. The evidence does not support either conjecture. Issuing firms are not more likely to pay or increase dividends than nonissuing firms. Moreover, there is little evidence that firms time stock-offering announcements right after dividend declarations to benefit from the attendant information disclosure. The analysis of dividend and stock-offering announcement effects suggests few if any benefits from linking dividend and stock-offering announcements.

This study shows the extent to which deviations from the absolute priority rule increase or decrease the bankruptcy emergence payoff to traded (i.e., usually junior claimants) bondholders. The data indicate that, on average, bondholders benefit, albeit slightly, from absolute priority rule violations. This paper also examines the degree to which the bond market, in the bankruptcy filing month, anticipates departures from the absolute priority rule and other influences on the payoff to bondholders. In other words, the authors investigate the informational efficiency of the market for bankrupt bonds. Overall, despite the complex and lengthy nature of bankruptcy proceedings, the results support efficiency.

This brief primer is intended to provide the foundations for the study of more rigorous and lengthy texts. It is designed principally for the finance faculty which does not specialize in continuous time methods, PhD students in finance and finance professionals. Chapters cover: a paradigm for primary asset valuation; complications of the basic paradigm; the valuation of derivative securities; optimal decision strategies and valuation.

Overview Switzerland The Federal Republic of Germany France The United Kingdom Japan Canada The United States securitization and financial innovation non-banking activities of banking organizations the international convergence of capital adequacy requirements the 1992 single European market in financial services trends and developments concluding remarks.