Abstract: The report on "Market efficiency in Nordic and Baltic Stock Exchanges" was presented by the Nordic Working Group for Securities Market Issues in May 2004. The report was based on a questionnaire sent to the Nordic and Baltic stock exchanges. The questionnaire consisted of specific questions about legal environment, foreign investment, competition and cooperation with other exchanges and general questions about individual markets. The focus was primarily on the stock market and to get the views of the stock exchange operators. The main views of the stock exchange operators related to the following topics: Clearing and settlement, co-operation, extensive EU regulation, taxation, legal obligations on the central securities depositaries, transparency rules and global competition. The key obsevations of the report were the following: Firstly, cross-border clearing and settlement and central counterparty clearing was raised by a number of respondents as a feature common to the relevant other securities markets but non-existent in the Nordic market. Secondly, the increasing amount of delisted companies which appears to be common in all the Nordic and Baltic countries raises concerns of the lucrativity of the stock market. Thirdly, acquiring the necessary comparative data to enable setting the Nordic and Baltic market in the global context would be useful

By 1999, Russia's economy was growing at almost 7% per year, and by 2008 reached 11th place in the world GDP rankings. Russia is now the world's second largest producer and exporter of oil, the largest producer and exporter of natural gas, and as a result has the third largest stock of foreign exchange reserves in the world, behind only China and Japan. But while this impressive economic growth has raised the average standard of living and put a number of wealthy Russians on the Forbes billionaires list, it has failed to solve the country's deep economic and social problems inherited from the Soviet times. Russia continues to suffer from a distorted economic structure, with its low labor productivity, heavy reliance on natural resource extraction, low life expectancy, high income inequality, and weak institutions. While a voluminous amount of literature has studied various individual aspects of the Russian economy, in the West there has been no comprehensive and systematic analysis of the socialist legacies, the current state, and future prospects of the Russian economy gathered in one book. The Oxford Handbook of the Russian Economy fills this gap by offering a broad range of topics written by the best Western and Russian scholars of the Russian economy. While the book's focus is the current state of the Russian economy, the first part of the book also addresses the legacy of the Soviet command economy and offers an analysis of institutional aspects of Russia's economic development over the last decade. The second part covers the most important sectors of the economy. The third part examines the economic challenges created by the gigantic magnitude of regional, geographic, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity of Russia. The fourth part covers various social issues, including health, education, and demographic challenges. It will also examine broad policy challenges, including the tax system, rule of law, as well as corruption and the underground economy. Michael Alexeev and Shlomo Weber provide for the first time in one volume a complete, well-rounded, and essential look at the complex, emerging Russian economy.

Denmark Investment and Business Guide Volume 1 Strategic and Practical Information

Central securities depositories (CSDs) are systemically important entities that are critical for effective implementation of monetary policy, the credibility of a government’s debt management program, collateral management, and safe and efficient securities markets. Authorities in developing markets, in particular central banks, may grapple with the following issues: i) whether to pursue a single CSD for all types of securities to increase market efficiencies and benefit from economies of scale; and ii) whether to partake in the governance of the CSD as owner and/or operator. This paper develops seven considerations that authorities may take into account in addressing these issues and finding the best model for their country. These may point to different solutions for different countries, depending in part on the size of markets, strength of private operators and level of market development.

In May 2007, an extraordinary meeting took place in London's The Exchange Forum. Chief executives from many of the world's most important financial exchanges came together with senior executives from a wide array of global banking, trading, and investing firms, index providers, regulators, system suppliers, and key academics to discuss the rapidly changing business and technological environment in which exchanges function. The forum was an exclusive event, open only to the most senior-level individuals in the global exchanges community: those who run exchanges, who are clients of exchanges, who invest in exchanges, and who supply goods and services to exchanges.In presentations and panel discussions over two days, these experts explored the effect of shrinking margins as more instruments became exchange traded rather than OTC and the conflicts that creates. They shared what exchanges are doing today to respond to the challenges wrought by competition, globalization, and rapid technology advances. And they looked into the future and discussed the multi-asset, multi-currency, and multi-region trading that holds out the promise of future success.The book is based on the discussion and analysis that took place at this exclusive event that brought together leading exchange professionals, their customers, and suppliers from around the globe to share insights and experiences. It will provide an overview of the latest technological, regulatory, and market developments in the exchange industry and the common problems exchanges face; explain how these problems are being addressed; and present the consensus view from leading exchange professionals about how to move forward. Most significant, the ideas in the book will come directly from the worlds leading exchange professionals and customers. - Hear the voices of executive-level exchange professionals throughout the book for a candid, realistic, and high-level analysis of the exchange business, its present and future - Share the stories of success and failure these exchange executives shared as they discussed solutions to common challenges - Chart the way forward for your exchange business with confidence based on the collective insights and experience of these professionals

This collection of expert articles highlights the standards and practices concerning sustainability reporting among companies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Due to the growing interest in corporate social responsibility issues, sustainability reporting has become increasingly common among businesses that claim to adhere to certain social, environmental and economic standards. While it can be observed that sustainability reporting is widely practiced in Western and Northern European countries, only few studies have been conducted on this topic in the CEE region. Drawing on a major empirical study involving researchers from 10 different CEE countries, this book addresses the status quo of sustainability reporting, outlines future prospects and provides essential recommendations for practitioners.

Introducing... Essentials of Investments, 9th Global Edition, by Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane and Alan J. Marcus. We are pleased to present this Global Edition, which has been developed specifically to meet the needs of international Investment students. A market leader in the field, this text emphasizes asset allocation while presenting the practical applications of investment theory without unnecessary mathematical detail. The ninth edition includes new coverage on the roots and fallout from the recent financial crisis and provides increased content on the changes in market structure and trading technology. Enhancements to this new Global Edition include: - New ‘On the market front’ boxes highlight important investment concepts in real world situations across the globe, to promote student thinking without taking a full case study approach. Topics include short-selling in Europe & Asia, credit default swaps and the debt crisis in Greece and include examples from Commerzbank, JP Morgan, Facebook, Coca-Cola, Santander, The European Energy Exchange, plus many more! - Revised worked examples illustrate problems using both real and fictional scenarios from across the world to help students develop their problem solving skills. Regional examples include Hutchinson Whampoa (Asia), The Emirates Group (The Middle East) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (The Netherlands). - Revised end-of chapter material includes brand new global questions and global internet exercises that feature currencies, companies and scenarios from Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia to increase engagement for international students. - Global Edition of Connect Plus Finance, McGraw-Hill’s web-based assignment and assessment platform with eBook access, helps students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge. This Global Edition has been adapted to meet the needs of courses outside of the United States and does not align with the instructor and student resources available with the US edition.