Originally published in 2002, this is the second of three volumes in a history of finance in America. This volume starts with the investment bankers who dominated finance at the beginning of the twentieth century. It then describes the Panic of 1907 and the resulting creation of the Federal Reserve Board (the 'Fed'). The volume then traces finance through World War I, and it examines the events that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. From there it reviews the rebirth of finance after World War II and the growth of the institutional investor.

Sound investment decisions require an in-depth knowledge of the financial markets and available financial instruments. This book provides students and professionals with an understanding of the role and activities of an equity security analyst within the investment process. Emphasis is on understanding the process of analyzing companies; the valuation process; and the challenges of achieving success in a highly competitive capital market. The authors present a comprehensive compendium on the financial theory, the empirical evidence and the mathematical tools that form the underlying principles of investment decisions.

This book explores the regulatory challenges of public company shareholder activism. Around the world, policy makers, practitioners and academics debate how best to regulate shareholder activism. Using Australia as a case study, the book examines key issues raised by this debate. With a market structure and legal settings that are conducive to activism, Australia makes an ideal case study and provides a fresh comparative perspective on the regulatory debate about shareholder activism, which tends to be dominated by US-focused analysis and commentary. The book presents empirical evidence which reveals that Australian activism is a significant and multifaceted phenomenon, undertaken by different types of activists pursuing varying strategies and supported by a range of complementary market developments. The book uses this evidence to develop comparative insights and explore internationally topical issues, including: - activists' willingness to use interventionist governance rights; - the role of intermediaries such as proxy advisers in facilitating activism; - institutional investor stewardship; and - the risks of collective shareholder activism. This book provides an important comparative perspective on the topic of shareholder activism. It is an essential resource for policy makers, practitioners and academics interested in the regulatory implications of shareholder activism.

Institutional Investors' Power to Change Corporate Behavior

First Published in 2014. This book maps the issues and traces the U.S. government's efforts to properly regulate, monitor, and prevent financial speculation and price manipulation in various markets. It begins with the period from the late nineteenth century to the first congressional efforts at regulation in the 1930s and continues on to the present, with a full chapter on the legal and financial aspects of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The book also discusses the difficulty of initiating successful prosecutions of financial fraud and price manipulation and proposes a new approach to preventing manipulative practices.

The past two decades has witnessed unprecedented changes in the corporate governance landscape in Europe, the US and Asia. Across many countries, activist investors have pursued engagements with management of target companies. More recently, the role of the hostile activist shareholder has been taken up by a set of hedge funds. Hedge fund activism is characterized by mergers and corporate restructuring, replacement of management and board members, proxy voting, and lobbying of management. These investors target and research companies, take large positions in `their stock, criticize their business plans and governance practices, and confront their managers, demanding action enhancing shareholder value. This book analyses the impact of activists on the companies that they invest, the effects on shareholders and on activists funds themselves. Chapters examine such topic as investors' strategic approaches, the financial returns they produce, and the regulatory frameworks within which they operate. The chapters also provide historical context, both of activist investment and institutional shareholder passivity. The volume facilitates a comparison between the US and the EU, juxtaposing not only regulatory patterns but investment styles.

Examines various issues concerning the strategies of institutional investors, the role of institutional investors in corporate governance, their impact on local and international capital markets, as well as the emergence of sovereign and other asset management funds and their interactions with micro and macro economic and market environments.

Annotation. This study reviews the recent developments in capital markets and institutional investors in Russia, and examines the policy challenges ahead for the development of the sector. The analysis covers key impediments for further development and policy challenges for securities markets, in particular legal and regulatory framework, market infrastructure, government bonds, sub-sovereign bonds, corporate bonds, and equities. The analysis also covers key impediments for furhter development and policy challenges for mutual funds, pension funds, and insurance companies.

Extraordinary opportunities for China's major financial services providers Over the past three decades, China has attained and solidified its position as the world's second-largest economy. There is now an enormous demand for Chinese financial services, especially those related to securities. Chinese Securities Companies is essential reading for anyone involved in Chinese capital markets, because this is a situation that has never been seen before. Management, profit structure, sponsor systems, reform potential—all have unique elements in China, and all are analyzed in depth in this book. Chinese securities expert Wu Xiaoqiu has developed an influential model for understanding China's capital markets in their historical perspective and creating success in this high-demand industry. Read Chinese Securities Companies to understand the four things firms must do in order to exceed the accomplishments of giants like CITIC Securities: Create international vision Develop innovative talent Establish solid capital power Engage in rigorous risk management Using this formula, developed with the aid of research from Moody's, along with a robust historical perspective, Wu Xiaoqiu has written an essential text for anyone involved in global financial services.