Thema Finanzmärkte

Der Wettbewerb um schwache Regulierung hat uns geschadet: Sechs Fragen an Georg Erber

Finanzkrise: Verantwortung und Haftung gehören zusammen

Banken und Hedgefonds: Streng regulieren, aber nur im absoluten Notfall direkt unter die Arme greifen

Smart Capital in German Start-ups: An Empirical Analysis

What kind of smart capital relational investors actually supply, especially in a bank-based financial system such as the German one, is still an open question. We divide smart capital into single components and conduct a survey with 85 German suppliers of start-up finance. The results show that the degree of 'smartness' is determined by the financial product used and partly also by the financiers' ...

Foreign Currency Borrowing: The Case of Hungary

We use household survey data from Hungary to analyse the determinants of foreign currency (FX) borrowing. We do not find evidence that Hungarian FX borrowers are better educated, wealthier or more risk-loving than their peers. In fact, FX borrowing is a common phenomenon driven mostly by macroeconomic factors: high interest rate spreads, a relatively stable exchange rate and the competition of foreign ...

Drivers of Exchange Rate Dynamics in Selected CIS Countries: Evidence from a FAVAR Analysis

We investigate the likely sources of exchange rate dynamics in selected CIS countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) over the past decade (1999-2008). The analysis is based on country VAR models augmented by a regional common factor structure (FAVAR model). The models include nominal exchange rates, the common factor of exchange rates in the CIS countries, and global ...

Risk Attitudes and Investment Decisions across European Countries: Are Women More Conservative Investors than Men?

This study questions the popular stereotype that women are more risk averse than men in their financial investment decisions. The analysis is based on micro-level data from large-scale surveys of private households in five European countries. In our analysis of investment decisions, we directly account for individuals' self-perceived willingness to take financial risks. The empirical evidence we provide ...

What's Banking Sector Concentration Got to Do with Private Equity Market?

The paper investigates the link between bank concentration and a country's buyout market. We perform a macro level analysis for 15 European countries during 1997-2007. We estimate the elasticity of the country i's buyout market to country i's concentration in the banking sector. Our major finding suggests that the more concentrated the banking sector is, the better it is for the size of the buyout ...

Are Private Equity Investors Good or Evil?

The paper investigates the motives of activity (entry and exit) of Private Equity (PE) investors in European companies. Investment of a PE firm is not viewed unambiguously. First, it is claimed that PE investment is made for the sake of seeking shortterm gains by taking control and utilizing the company's resources. Second, a PE firm invests because of prior identification of chances to add value to ...

Diversification of Banks' International Portfolios: Evidence and Policy Lessons

Over the past decades, banks have significantly increased their cross-border asset positions. The ongoing crisis on international financial markets has raised the question whether this increase in cross-border activities has allowed banks to diversify risks and to what extent it has increased banks' exposure to systemic risks. In this contribution, we review the existing empirical evidence.