In a tractable stochastic volatility model, we identify the price of the smile as the price of the unspanned risks traded in SPX option markets. The price of the smile reflects two persistent volatility and skewness risks, which imply a downward sloping term structure of low-frequency variance...

At odds with the common “rational expectations” framework for bubbles, economists like Hyman Minsky, Charles Kindleberger and Robert Shiller have documented that irrational behavior, ambiguous information or certain limits to arbitrage are essential drivers for bubble phenomena and financial...

For a large financial market (which is a sequence of usual, “small” financial markets), we introduce and study a concept of no asymptotic arbitrage (of the first kind) which is invariant under discounting. We give two dual characterisations of this property in terms of (1) martingale-like...

Recently, for standard asset classes, the first mutual clearing agreements between Central Coun- terparties (CCPs) have come into existence. There are already global concerns over the unique threats and benefits which arise from these situations, and further concern for an extension of agree-...

Næs, Skjeltorp, and Ødegaard (2011) provide empirical evidence that stock market liquidity contains leading information about future economic activity. Their result suggests a rebalancing of small, increasingly illiquid to large stocks in recession times, an expression of...

We present a theory in which the key driver of short-term debt issued by the financial sector is the portfolio demand for safe and liquid assets by the nonfinancial sector. This demand drives a premium on safe and liquid assets that the financial sector exploits by owning risky and illiquid...

We introduce an evolutionary equilibrium asset pricing model with heterogeneous agents who can either act as brokers or hedge funds. Hedge funds can trade on margin, taking short or (leveraged) long positions in the assets. Brokers provide asset loans and credit to margin traders. In any...

We develop an equilibrium model of real and financial market integration in which real firms and financial investors independently decide on their investment into different locations (countries). We show that, in the presence financial frictions, firms' real investment choices become strategic...

Using comprehensive data on London Interbank Offer Rate (Libor) submissions from 2001 through 2012, we document systematic evidence consistent with banks manipulating Libor to profit from Libor related positions and, to a degree, to signal their creditworthiness during the distressed times for...

Heavy tails and volatility clusters are both stylized facts of financial returns that destabilize markets. The former are extreme events by definition and the latter can accelerate adverse market developments. This work disentangles the two sources and examines which one does the greater damage...