Knowledge that Transforms

Professors Sorensen and Hawkins (hereafter SH) have utilized regression analysis to examine the pricing of preferred stocks both before and after a particular event. This event, the NAIC event, occurred in 1979 when the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted a rule permitting insurance companies to carry sinking fund preferred issues at book value rather than at the market value required before. SH results indicate nine to 12 variables have a significant effect on the pricing of preferred stock.

An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.

In “The Pricing of Premium Bonds, ” Livingston [4] presents an erroneous analysis of the coupon effect on yield to maturity (YTM). This comment will present a correct analysis and briefly indicate Livingston's error. Following [4], we will assume no transaction costs, etc., and confine our analysis to N-period bonds (N = 2). The prices of premium bonds (P+) and discount bonds (P−) can be represented as:whereTP = tax rate on income of marginal investors, TG = capital gains tax rate of marginal investors, A = market price of an untaxed N-period $1- annuity, D = market price of an untaxed N-period $1 discounted note, C = coupon, F = “face” or principal amount of bond, and PS, PA, PDS, and PD are the prices of the annuities and discounted notes implicitly in taxable bonds. Expressions (1) and (2) show equilibrium prices as functions of A, D, TP, and TG; cf. McCulloch [6], Caks [2], and Livingston [3, 4, 5].

Michael Keenan, Discussion: A Normative Approach to Pension Fund Management, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 16, No. 4, Proceedings of 16th Annual Conference of the Western Finance Association, June 18-20, 1981, Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Nov., 1981), pp. 557-558

The purpose of this study is to examine the reaction of the Israeli stock market to a major economic reform that took place in Israel on October 28, 1977. On that Friday afternoon, after the closing of all businesses, TV and radio programs were interrupted fora major address by the Treasury Minister. The thrusts of the reform were the liberalization of foreign currency control, the unification of the exchange rates, and the floatingof the Israeli pound.

Robert Heinkel, Discussion: Sorting Equilibria in Financial Markets: The Incentive Problem, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 16, No. 4, Proceedings of 16th Annual Conference of the Western Finance Association, June 18-20, 1981, Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Nov., 1981), pp. 493-494

In the last few years, several innovations have appeared in mortgage finance which are designed to improve the flow of funds into mortgage lending. Among this group, The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) remains the intermediary which handles the largest share of most mortgage lenders' placements. As a private corporation chartered by Congress and owned by stockholders, FNMA provides a national secondary market facility for government-backed (FHA/VA) and conventional mortgages. Through its secondary market operations, FNMA furnishes a source of liquidity for mortgage lenders with the major portion of this support provided through the Free Market System (FMS) auctions. Through its issuance of forward purchase commitments, the FNMA assures lenders of a permanent investor (at a set yield) for specified periods of time, regardless of changing money market and housing conditions.

Stephen M. Schaefer, Taxation and Bond Market Equilibrium in a World of Uncertain Future Interest Rates: Comment, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 16, No. 5 (Dec., 1981), pp. 773-777

To sum up, Emery and Cogger [5] have raised several interesting questions concerning the derivation of the safety index (as well as the related risk of ruin) and the interpretation of that index which needed to be addressed. While the potential limitations discussed are theoretically possible, closer examination reveals that most of the concerns raised are unlikely to occur in practical applications, although certain of the procedures utilized were in need of further explanation. Several of these issues also provide extensions of the present work to make the estimation of the risk of ruin an even more robust measure of the potential for corporate failure.

Tim S. Campbell, William A. Kracaw, Sorting Equilibria in Financial Markets: The Incentive Problem, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 16, No. 4, Proceedings of 16th Annual Conference of the Western Finance Association, June 18-20, 1981, Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Nov., 1981), pp. 477-492