Area: Finance

Three arrows that get progressively bigger that each have part of the Chinese yuan in them. Research Brief / Banking

Can Banks, Disrupted by Fintech, Adopt New Habits, Too?

In China, patent data shows commercial banks’ use of new technologies helps improve efficiency and reduce risk

FDIC logo on a window Research Brief / Banking

Calculating a Value for the Government Support Banks Enjoy

Researchers’ model could quantify the risks in the growing movement to ease up on Dodd-Frank regulations

Road marking - One Way with snow Research Brief / Investing

Bringing a Sharper Focus to the Study of the Decline of Investment Diversification

Research measures the impact of global economic factors on returns

An angled photo of brick building storefronts Research Brief / Entrepreneurship

Borrowings Suggest Small Company Owners Face Higher Risk

Analysis uses business credit card loans to gauge market perception

A variety of white clouds on a black background Research Brief / Management

Boom of Intangible Assets Felt Across Industries and Economy

Rethinking issues around productivity, income inequality and industry concentration

Illustration of a man weighing two balances Research Brief / Retirement Planning

Behind the Annuity Conundrum: The Belief They’re Unfair

Researchers find little commonality among haters of the difficult-to-sell retirement products, except when discussing fairness

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

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

Composite image of stock charts overlaid on an image of a laptop Research Brief / Investing

Banks Rent Out Their Balance Sheets — So Derivatives Cost More

Even before Dodd-Frank rules, the costs were significant

Tap water at different levels in three buckets Research Question / Banking

Bank Holding Companies Meet Higher Capital Requirements By Weakening Their Nonbank Subsidiaries

Rather than sell stock, they shift capital from other units to banks, satisfying the letter of the law, if not its spirit

Graphic of investor leisurely sitting in front of an investment terminal reading a book Research Brief / Investing

As Passive Investing Spreads, Overall Market Becomes Less Competitive

Active investors take up some — but not all — of the slack created by index funds

A square with AI in it touched by a human finger Research Question / Artificial Intelligence

As AI Supercharges Finance Research, Will We Believe the Results?

Building benchmarks to guide researchers and validate AI-enabled findings

Street signs Research Brief / Interest Rates

Are Interest Rates Really So Low?

Adjusting for inflation — and, crucially, for taxes — shows bond investors fare better than they might think

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

Six office workers seen talking and performing various tasks Research Brief / Finance

Adapting Value Investing to the 21st Century

Including intangible assets in book value vastly improves the strategy’s returns

A black and white illustration of a wave made of 100-dollar bills Research Brief / Investing

Across 145 Years and 17 Countries, a Common Thread in Risky Credit Booms

Do investors misprice assets, revise their risk appetite or make some other misjudgment?