Three essays in finance
Abstract
This dissertation examines three topics in finance. These include: 1) MFI external funding (donations vs. subsidy) and borrower repayment rates; 2) Terroristic activity and MFIs funding (donations vs. subsidy); and 3) The effect of private communications and public reports on stock prices. The first essay focuses on how different types of external funding (donations vs. subsidy) influence microfinance institutions' (MFIs) borrower repayment rates. Data come for 947 MFIs over a 10-year period. Findings show that private funding is positively related to MFIs' abilities to screen borrowers and to monitor borrower repayment rates. MFIs that have a higher proportion of private donor funds to public subsidies have lower rates of portfolios at risk, fewer delinquent loans, and that their overall portfolios are less risky. Moreover, we find that diverse organizational structures have a distinct impact on MFI loan portfolios. Second essay studies the relationship between terroristic activity and external support to MFIs from private and public donors in the form of subsidies and donations, as well as the relationship between subsidies and donations in the context of terrorism. Using information from 94 countries over the period from 2000 through 2010, we find a positive relationship between subsidies and acts of terrorism. We also find an increase in these measures in response to increased terroristic activity. The results are robust to different model specifications. The third essay investigates the effect of private information on stock prices. We use three sources of data: 1) Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) which includes stock prices an d market return; 2) ABI/INFORM Dateline that includes local and regional business coverage ; and 3) an affidavit of attorney general Eliot Spitzer versus Henry Blodget that contains private e-mails and public reports. We use content analysis to separately examine the effect of private data and public reports on stock prices within the same time range. We hypothesize that private e-mails that serve as a proxy for insider information will have a greater impact on stock prices than publicly released reports. We find support for our hypotheses: private communication was a better predictor of stock prices than public reports. These findings support the decision by the Supreme Court and indicate great discrepancy that exists between different levels of communication and its role on stock prices, which greatly impacts the welfare of a common retail investor.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Chakravarty, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Behavioral psychology|Finance
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