The paper deals with the evaluation of Collateralized Debt Obligations for investment purposes. CDOs are classified in the asset backed environment. Its specific risks (market, timing, recovery, agency) are discussed. To understand the portfolio aspect, the concept of the diversity score is...

The aim of portfolio insurance strategies is to put a floor on the value of a stock portfolio by progressively selling stocks and buy safe, short-term debt securities as stock prices fall. This paper analyzes the current static and dynamic methods in use and explains their pros and cons.

The paper discusses the impact of the Basel II Accord on the financing of small and medium size enterprises (SME) in Austria. Although the Basel II Accord has not been established yet, the study tries to evaluate the expected impact of the Basel II Accord on SMEs, on the bases of the current...

Being able to model yield curves from observed bond yields is essential in capital markets. Yield curves are required to accurately price financial products as well as to correctly assess the macroeconomic situation of economies. Current models based on the work of Nelson/Siegel et al. apply a...

Within the last decade, credit risk management of financial institutions has been subject to major changes due to the development of the credit derivatives market. In the past, financial institutions merely had the possibility to manage their credit portfolio by either approving or refusing a...

The current financial market crisis has impressively demonstrated the importance of an effective credit risk management for financial institutions. At the same time, the use and the valuation of credit derivatives has been widely criticised as a result of the crisis. Over the past decade, credit...

The current financial market crisis has impressively demonstrated the importance of an effective credit risk management for financial institutions. At the same time, the use and the valuation of credit derivatives has been widely criticised as a result of the crisis. Over the past decade, credit...

Being able to model yield curves from observed bond yields is essential in capital markets. Yield curves are required to accurately price financial products as well as to correctly assess the macroeconomic situation of economies. Current models based on the work of Nelson/Siegel et al. apply a...

In almost every financial market crisis we can observe widening credit spreads, especially in the last years during the subprime and sovereign debt crisis. But what exactly drives the credit spread? This paper will outline static components, i.e. default risk, liquidity, risk and the relative...

The credit crisis and the following sovereign debt crisis during 2007 and 2012 led to an increasing volatility of European corporate bond credit spreads. European investment grade credit spreads rose in 2007 and 2008 from 50 BP to over 350 BP. In the years after the credit spreads declined to...