The Importance of Being Politically Connected. The literature on the importance of political connections to firms and their value implications is scant. This project aims to develop a framework that depicts the interplay of political connections, institutional factors, corporate governance, media coverage and firm value. In particular, it investigates how political connections enhance the value of firms in China and how this changes as the market transitions.
Surviving financial crises: a study of the Australian Government securities market. This project assesses the capacity of the Australian Government securities market to meet investor demand in times of financial crises. The outcomes will provide governments in Australia and other countries with the necessary tools to enhance the efficiency of securities markets and to flag liquidity problems in a timely manner.
Investment Opportunities and the Impact of Interaction Between Global Integration, International Capital Flows and Price Movements in Emerging Stock Markets. Emerging stock markets now represent an integral component of international investment portfolios comprising billions of dollars. But stocks in these markets are perceived as excessively volatile and frequently inconsistent with economic fundamentals. This project investigates the linkage between emerging stock prices and both local and glo ....Investment Opportunities and the Impact of Interaction Between Global Integration, International Capital Flows and Price Movements in Emerging Stock Markets. Emerging stock markets now represent an integral component of international investment portfolios comprising billions of dollars. But stocks in these markets are perceived as excessively volatile and frequently inconsistent with economic fundamentals. This project investigates the linkage between emerging stock prices and both local and global economic influences; develops quantifiable time-varying measures of capital market integration based on fundamentals allowing ranking across markets; and explores how integration levels are affected by capital flows. The project will benefit the investment community and governments in understanding, and modelling, the impact of policy and trade flows on market integration and the consequent effect on stock markets.Read moreRead less
Investment Evaluation and Price Formation in Markets for Oil and Mineral Resources. The project will examine and quantify price movements and the associated risk of mineral and oil prices leading to the development of better risk management models. The findings will help Australian exporters and importers understand and manage price risks more effectively. The investment community also benefits from the quantification of these risks, in particular, managers of large pension and mutual funds. The ....Investment Evaluation and Price Formation in Markets for Oil and Mineral Resources. The project will examine and quantify price movements and the associated risk of mineral and oil prices leading to the development of better risk management models. The findings will help Australian exporters and importers understand and manage price risks more effectively. The investment community also benefits from the quantification of these risks, in particular, managers of large pension and mutual funds. The aim of the proposed models is better forecasting of global mineral and oil price movements leading to improved management of economic policy in this important sector. Read moreRead less
Protecting Australia’s brand assets and stakeholder interests. International accounting standards have recently been harmonised to allow firms to recognise the value of purchased brands on their balance sheets, subject to an annual test to verify that value has not been impaired. There are no widely accepted methodologies with which to undertake such tests, despite the requirement for the balance sheet to provide a true and fair view of financial position. This research will develop three approa ....Protecting Australia’s brand assets and stakeholder interests. International accounting standards have recently been harmonised to allow firms to recognise the value of purchased brands on their balance sheets, subject to an annual test to verify that value has not been impaired. There are no widely accepted methodologies with which to undertake such tests, despite the requirement for the balance sheet to provide a true and fair view of financial position. This research will develop three approaches to calibrate brand impairment and draw lessons from applying them over a three year period. The outputs are twofold: first, a suite of detailed methods for accountants, auditors and financial analysts to measure and diagnose brand value; second, several key indicators that can be used to monitor signs of brand impairment.Read moreRead less
Adoption of Australian IFRS: Are IFRS "fit for purpose"? The project seeks to explore the usefulness of modifications made to company earnings based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS; Australia’s mandatory accounting standards) by financial report preparers and users. The project intends to show how share markets respond to adjustments to IFRS earnings and provide evidence to assist standard setters and regulators in policy decisions to strengthen the financial reporting frame ....Adoption of Australian IFRS: Are IFRS "fit for purpose"? The project seeks to explore the usefulness of modifications made to company earnings based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS; Australia’s mandatory accounting standards) by financial report preparers and users. The project intends to show how share markets respond to adjustments to IFRS earnings and provide evidence to assist standard setters and regulators in policy decisions to strengthen the financial reporting framework and to improve the comparability and transparency of financial information. A more robust framework would improve capital market efficiency, promote economic growth in Australia and support the goal of making Australia a world-leading financial market.Read moreRead less
Stochastic analysis and the development and application of financial risk processes. Ensuring the stability of Australia's financial system requires an understanding of the complex financial instruments, strategies and technologies that have evolved in recent years. A strong well-integrated research effort in stochastic analysis with particular application to financial markets is fundamental for measuring and managing risk, to protect and preserve a well functioning system, and to inform policy ....Stochastic analysis and the development and application of financial risk processes. Ensuring the stability of Australia's financial system requires an understanding of the complex financial instruments, strategies and technologies that have evolved in recent years. A strong well-integrated research effort in stochastic analysis with particular application to financial markets is fundamental for measuring and managing risk, to protect and preserve a well functioning system, and to inform policy debate on financial strategies and insurance liabilities.
These challenges are global and require extensive international research collaboration and interaction. The present project will enhance Australia's contributions in this area and facilitate its global impact more than is possible through individual efforts.Read moreRead less
The impact of COVID-19 economic stimulus measures on corporate stakeholders. Australia's economic response to COVID-19 saw cash injections to companies and bailouts of some insolvent firms. This project aims to quantify the market value of these government subsidies and how it was shared across corporate stakeholders. The project expects to generate new knowledge for the design of financial stability regimes by developing the world-first dynamic structural model of firm assets that allows for go ....The impact of COVID-19 economic stimulus measures on corporate stakeholders. Australia's economic response to COVID-19 saw cash injections to companies and bailouts of some insolvent firms. This project aims to quantify the market value of these government subsidies and how it was shared across corporate stakeholders. The project expects to generate new knowledge for the design of financial stability regimes by developing the world-first dynamic structural model of firm assets that allows for government interventions both prior to and at default. Expected outcomes include a novel public dataset that tracks expected future subsidies and how they are shared by stakeholders. These forecasts should provide significant benefits to taxpayers as they fund the subsidies and gain from them as claimants to Australian firms.Read moreRead less
Floor trading versus computer trading - Does it matter? Computer systems for securities trading date from the 1980s. These systems are large, costly and extremely complex. Outcomes from their introduction were unforeseen and the relevant research literature is sparse. This project will investigate experimentally with a simulated trading system the effects on trading behaviour of important system parameters. Intelligent support systems for traders will also be developed and tested. The project ....Floor trading versus computer trading - Does it matter? Computer systems for securities trading date from the 1980s. These systems are large, costly and extremely complex. Outcomes from their introduction were unforeseen and the relevant research literature is sparse. This project will investigate experimentally with a simulated trading system the effects on trading behaviour of important system parameters. Intelligent support systems for traders will also be developed and tested. The project team combines needed expertise from the areas of human decision making, finance, and advanced information technologies. Results will be important for theory of market microstructure and interactive intelligent systems and also for an important industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Entropic Analysis of Financial Risk and Uncertainty. The recent financial crisis has shown that the financial markets are not as stable as expected, and are at risk from a lack of knowledge about new financial products and their risks. This research provides a framework to better measure and forecast financial risks by applying a set of techniques known collectively as entropic analysis as a novel way to measure the amount of information that can be extracted from historical data. The research w ....Entropic Analysis of Financial Risk and Uncertainty. The recent financial crisis has shown that the financial markets are not as stable as expected, and are at risk from a lack of knowledge about new financial products and their risks. This research provides a framework to better measure and forecast financial risks by applying a set of techniques known collectively as entropic analysis as a novel way to measure the amount of information that can be extracted from historical data. The research will facilitate the design of policies and regulations by regulatory authorities that need to evaluate new financial products, their associated risks and their impacts on the financial markets.Read moreRead less