Area: Finance

An illustration of a man at the end of a cliff trying to pull up a coin tied to a string Research Brief / Markets

Options Market Signals Scope of Federal Reserve Interventions

Traders see an implicit promise beyond specific asset purchases

An image of the national debt amount Research Brief / Debt

How Much Debt Can the Government Roll Over Forever?

Public bonds compete against other investments; a model of that relationship

A woman with long hair hangs up a for sale sign Research Question / Real Estate

Middlemen: Matchmakers or Sources of Strategic Information?

Probing that question using a database of for-sale-by-owner home listings

A cityscape at sunset overlaid with a grid of lighted network Research Brief / Banking

Banks Transmit Financial Shocks, Including from Natural Disasters

How a localized flood may result in fewer loans to a far-off community

The exterior of a bank in Greece is shown as a man in a blue shirt walks in front of it. Research Brief / Banking

In a Crisis, Solvent Borrowers are Overcharged, Subsidizing Troubled Bank Clients

An unusual data trove from Greece’s economic collapse reveals the practice

Illustration of a bridge made out of gears with a red connecting section in the middle Research Brief / Banking

Banks, Freed to Operate Across State Lines, Helped Stabilize the Economy

Lenders financed expansion in some markets, offsetting problems in others

Visual illustration of data Research Brief / Investing

A Solution to the Debate over Momentum’s Cause?

Investors may underreact when information arrives in small, continuous bits

Aerial view of a neighborhood Research Brief / Housing

Fed Policy Helped Distressed Homeowners But Wasn’t a Cure-All

Modifications curtailed foreclosures during 2008-09 crisis, but borrowers remained at high risk of delinquency

Three nurse confer in front of a computer screen at a nurses station Research Brief / Labor

Who Does — and Doesn’t — Suffer From Lack of Competition for Workers

Nurses, cosmetologists and other professionals find wages suppressed more than many lower-skilled workers

Illustration of a tightrope walker Research Brief / Investing

The Collective Wisdom of Options Trades as Interest Rate Predictor

Skewness, measuring the range of biases, strongly suggests rate moves

A close-up of Aadhaar card held in a man's hand Research Brief / Technology

Addressing Its Lack of an ID System, India Registers 1.2 Billion in a Decade

Digital identity used in nearly every realm of life

A metal trash can containing four wadded up pieces of paper Research Brief / Investing

46 Possible Stock Market Strategies from Academics Get a Retest

We won’t call it debunking, but not all investing tips hold up

Collage of trademark symbols Research Question / Investing

Underappreciated Investment Edge: Company Trademark Filings

Not part of financial reporting, trademark activity predicts stock returns

Research Brief / Supply Chain

Dealers Might Not Profit from Soaring Used-Car Prices

Lenders and private-party sellers constrain a seeming windfall

Close up of a smartphone Research Brief / Investing

GameStop Aside, Retail Investors Might be Terrible at Momentum Investing

Using Chinese A and B shares, institutional players outperform individuals

Illustration of an employee working with their boss sitting next to them Research Brief / Compensation

Employee or Capitalist? Equity Compensation Merges the Two

Labor’s losses to capital, much studied, aren’t quite as grim when stock and options are tabulated