Recent Turmoil in Emerging Markets and the Behavior of Country-Fund Discounts

Recent Turmoil in Emerging Markets and the Behavior of Country-Fund Discounts PDF Author: Mr.Charles Frederick Kramer
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451848951
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 30

Book Description
This paper argues that recent movements in closed-end emerging markets funds present a strong challenge to the leading explanations of the behavior of closed-end country fund prices. In particular, closed-end funds dedicated to Mexico and other Latin American stock markets developed large premia after the December 1994 devaluation of the Mexican peso and the subsequent financial crisis. The so-called “investor sentiment hypothesis” could explain these events only by suggesting that investors became very optimistic about emerging markets stocks, and especially Mexican stocks; this possibility seems unlikely given the facts surrounding the devaluation. We argue instead that a sensible explanation for recent dynamics of closed-end country funds is that investors in these funds are loss-averse, implying that they do not want to realize paper losses on their closed-end fund shares. This works to put a drag on the downward movement in closed-end fund prices.

Country Fund Discounts, Asymmetric Information and the Mexican Crisis of 1994

Country Fund Discounts, Asymmetric Information and the Mexican Crisis of 1994 PDF Author: Jeffrey A. Frankel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Country funds
Languages : en
Pages : 60

Book Description
It has been suggested that Mexican investors were the front-runners in the peso crisis of December 1994, turning pessimistic before international investors. Different expectations about their own economy, perhaps due to asymmetric information, prompted Mexican investors to be the first ones to leave the country. This paper uses data from three Mexican country funds to investigate the hypothesis of divergent expectations. We find that, right before the devaluation, Mexican fund Net Asset Values (mainly driven by Mexican investors) dropped faster than Mexican country fund prices (mainly driven by foreign investors). Moreover, we find that Mexican NAVs tend to Granger-cause the country fund prices. This suggests that causality, in some sense, flows from the Mexico City investor community to the Wall Street investor community. More generally, the paper proposes an asymmetric information approach that differs from the existing explanations of country fund discounts.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report PDF Author: Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.
ISBN: 1616405414
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 692

Book Description
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, published by the U.S. Government and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in early 2011, is the official government report on the United States financial collapse and the review of major financial institutions that bankrupted and failed, or would have without help from the government. The commission and the report were implemented after Congress passed an act in 2009 to review and prevent fraudulent activity. The report details, among other things, the periods before, during, and after the crisis, what led up to it, and analyses of subprime mortgage lending, credit expansion and banking policies, the collapse of companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the federal bailouts of Lehman and AIG. It also discusses the aftermath of the fallout and our current state. This report should be of interest to anyone concerned about the financial situation in the U.S. and around the world.THE FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION is an independent, bi-partisan, government-appointed panel of 10 people that was created to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." It was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. The commission consisted of private citizens with expertise in economics and finance, banking, housing, market regulation, and consumer protection. They examined and reported on "the collapse of major financial institutions that failed or would have failed if not for exceptional assistance from the government."News Dissector DANNY SCHECHTER is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker. He has been reporting on economic crises since the 1980's when he was with ABC News. His film In Debt We Trust warned of the economic meltdown in 2006. He has since written three books on the subject including Plunder: Investigating Our Economic Calamity (Cosimo Books, 2008), and The Crime Of Our Time: Why Wall Street Is Not Too Big to Jail (Disinfo Books, 2011), a companion to his latest film Plunder The Crime Of Our Time. He can be reached online at www.newsdissector.com.

Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds

Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF Author: Mr.Udaibir S. Das
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1589069277
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
The book covers a wide range of topics of relevance to policymakers in countries that have sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and those that receive SWF investments. Renowned experts in the field have contributed chapters. The book is organized around four themes: (1) the role and macrofinancial linkages of SWFs, (2) institutional factors, (3) investment approaches and financial markets, and (4) the postcrisis outlook. The book also discusses the challenges facing sovereign wealth funds in the coming years, from an inside perspective on countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Norway, Russia, and New Zealand. Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds will contribute to a further understanding of the nature, strategies and behavior of SWFs and the environment in which they operate, as their importance is likely to grow in the coming years.

Fiscal Policy Rules

Fiscal Policy Rules PDF Author: Mr.George Kopits
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781557757043
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 58

Book Description
What are fiscal policy rules? What are the principal benefits and drawbacks associated with various fiscal rules, particularly compared with alternative approaches to fiscal adjustment? Can fiscal rules contribute to long-run sustainability and welfare without sacrificing short-run stabilization? If so, what characteristics of fiscal rules make this contribution most effective? And in what circumstances and contexts, if any should the IMF encourage its member countries to adopt fiscal rules? This paper seeks to identify sensible fiscal policy rules that can succeed, if chosen by a member country, as an alternative to descretionary fiscal rules.

Institutional Investors and Asset Pricing in Emerging Markets

Institutional Investors and Asset Pricing in Emerging Markets PDF Author: Ms.Elaine Karen Buckberg
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 145184171X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 25

Book Description
This paper presents a new theory of asset pricing intended to address why other developing country equity markets responded so strongly to the Mexican devaluation, while the world’s major stock markets were unmoved. This phenomenon can be explained if investors follow a two-step portfolio allocation process, first determining what share of their portfolio to invest in developing countries, then allocating those funds across the emerging markets. For 12 of 13 markets studied, the one-factor CAPM is rejected in favor of a two-factor asset pricing model, including both a broad emerging markets portfolio and the global market portfolio.

Crises, Contagion, and the Closed

Crises, Contagion, and the Closed PDF Author: Mr.Angel J. Ubide
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451856318
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 55

Book Description
This paper analyzes the behavior of closed-end country fund discounts, including evidence from the Mexican and East Asian crises. We find that the ratio of fund prices to their fundamental value increases dramatically during a crisis, an anomaly that we denote the “closed-end country fund puzzle.” Our results show that the puzzle relates directly to the fact that international investors are less (more) sensitive to changes in local (global) market conditions than domestic investors. This asymmetry implies that foreign participation in local markets can both help dampen a crisis in the originating country, and amplify the contagion to noncrisis countries.

IMF Staff Papers, Volume 47, No. 1

IMF Staff Papers, Volume 47, No. 1 PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Research Dept.
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451974582
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
This paper discusses the origins of the pyramid schemes and the way the authorities handled them. The paper analyzes the economic effects of the pyramid schemes, concluding that despite the descent into anarchy triggered by the schemes’ collapse, their direct effects on the economy are difficult to specify and appear to have been limited. The paper also argues that prevention of pyramid schemes is better than cure and that government and international financial institutions should be vigilant in clamping down on frauds.

Emerging Markets

Emerging Markets PDF Author: Eswar S. Prasad
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0815705654
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
Emerging market economies (EMEs) have become the darlings of international investors and the focus of enormous attention in academic, media, and policy circles. M. Ayhan Kose and Eswar Prasad present the definitive account of the evolution of EMEs and use the lens of the global financial crisis to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Led by a set of large and dynamic countries—including Brazil, China, India, and Russia—EMEs have become a dominant presence in the world economy. They now account for a substantial share of world output and have been a major driver of global growth during the past decade. They are significant players in international trade and financial flows and are beginning to exert rising clout in global policy debates. However, the financial crisis of 2007–09 and the worldwide recession that followed cast a pall over the notion that EMEs had become self-reliant and "decoupled" from demand conditions in and financial flows from advanced countries. Kose and Prasad, prominent experts on emerging market economies and globalization, draw on their extensive research to assess the resilience of EMEs in the face of the global financial crisis. Their analysis shows that EMEs, as a group, weathered the crisis much better than the advanced countries, and most of these economies have bounced back rapidly from the global recession. The authors track down the reasons for this resilience and explain why some countries in this group have done better than others. Based on this analysis, they draw lessons for the durability and sustainability of these economies' long-term growth. This book is important reading for anyone trying to anticipate the future growth of emerging markets or contemplating business opportunities in these economies.

Stock Market Liquidity

Stock Market Liquidity PDF Author: François-Serge Lhabitant
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470181699
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 502

Book Description
Brings together today's best financial minds across the world to discuss the issue of liquidity in today's markets. It is often proxied by trade-based measures (such as trading volume, frequency of trading, dollar value of shares trade, etc), order based measures and price impact measures.