The ISDA CDS standard model assumes a single flat hazard rate (default intensity) rather than a term structure of hazard rates. This assumption introduces biases into CDS spreads for empirical research after the CDS Big Bang. This paper is the first to document the biases and provide a simple...

We apply machine learning techniques and use stock characteristics to predict the cross-section of stock returns in 33 international markets. We conduct a stringent out-of-sample test to examine concerns about overfitting: the models are trained with past U.S. data and used to predict...

I mathematically derive, economically motivate and empirically confirm a new anomaly in credit markets based on the premise that excessive fear of default leads to an undervaluation and overvaluation of credit and duration risk, respectively. To quantify this anomaly, I introduce a new value...

Dynamics of credit markets impact almost all participants in financial markets. Yet, despite rapidly growing international credit markets, we know little about the dynamics of global credit markets, as most studies focus on the US. Here, I propose a new distance-to-default model, empirically...

Recent literature show that leverage has a negative effect on stock returns, which is contradicting with influential finance theories and models. Based on the time-period 1966-2015, the five-factor model and an international dataset, this thesis sets the focus on the question what kind of effect...

The Great Financial Crisis of 2007-09 confirmed the vital importance of advancing our understanding of macrofinancial linkages, the two-way interactions between the real economy and the financial sector. The crisis was a bitter reminder of how sharp fluctuations in asset prices, credit and...

We have seen China's growing role in the past decades, and the world economy has become more exposed to the influence of China. This paper explores emerging China's impact on the global equity market through the lens of asset pricing. We study the predictive properties of the lagged China...

There are two primary factors that can affect expected returns for ESG companies with high ratings – investor preferences and risk. While it is true that investor preferences for highly rated ESG companies can lower the cost of capital and, thereby, increase the value of those companies, the...

We study the market impact of a very successful financial innovation – the SPDR Gold Trust exchange-traded fund (GLD). GLD holds physical gold, and provides traders with a convenient and cost-effective way to gain exposure to gold. We find that after the introduction of GLD, the liquidity of...

We document that the variation in market liquidity is an important determinant of momentum crashes that is independent of other known explanations surfaced on this topic. This relationship is driven by the asymmetric large return sensitivity of short-leg of momentum portfolio to changes in...