Finance
Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies, and the Future
By: Dr. Sidika Gulfem Bayram, Associate Professor of Finance Cameron School of Business, University of St. Thomas As a child, I was fascinated with science fiction movies that utilized utopian technologies that were farfetched compared to the realities of our day-to-day lives and limitations. I vividly remember the TV show that used what we now…
Read MoreA Primer on Futures Contracts
Dr. Hassan Shirvani Futures contracts, together with options and swaps, are examples of the derivative securities which are so-called because they derive their values from the performances of other financial assets or commodities. As such, they are essentially side bets, not unlike placing bets in a horse race. Given their wide popularity on Wall Street as highly effective investment and hedging instruments, this post briefly…
Read MoreMyth of the Free Markets: A Catholic Perspective
By Dr. Hassan M. Shirvani The importance of economic education in fostering higher levels of social welfare and political stability is widely acknowledged. However, judging by the poor quality of most public economic debates, the level of economic literacy, even in major industrial countries, seems to be still awfully low. This is particularly evidenced by the increasing tendency of many debaters to refute the views of their opponents, not…
Read MoreHow Will You Measure Your Life?
Clayton Magleby Christensen (1952-2020) was a renowned Harvard Business School professor, theorist and business consultant known for developing the theory of “disruptive innovation”. Considered the most influential business idea of the early 21st century, his work changed how people in business discussed innovation and approached management. He twice ranked number one (2011 and 2013) by…
Read MoreQuantitative Easing, Helicopter Money, and the Coronavirus Crisis
Exceptional economic and financial crises often demand exceptional remedies. It was in this spirit that many governments, fearing another Great Depression, intervened heavily in their economies during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. While the adopted fiscal actions, involving both government expenditures and tax cuts, were quite substantial, they were nevertheless easily eclipsed by the massive levels of central bank monetary interventions. In the United States, for example, the level of…
Read MoreBusiness Schools and the Financial Crisis
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani—Business schools have been widely criticized for causing the recent financial crisis by teaching deeply flawed financial models and by failing to instill in their students an adequate appreciation of socially responsible behavior. As a result, many of their graduates, armed with their defective financial models and lacking in ethical standards, are accused…
Read MoreData Analytics: Transforming Data into Insights, Decisions, and Actions
By Dr. Pooya Tabesh—Substantial changes are underway in the business data analytics’ landscape. Digital data in the universe doubles every two years and the size of business-related data continues to grow exponentially. In line with these trends, the adoption rate of popular big data analytics tools, such as data mining, machine learning, and other artificial…
Read MoreAre U.S. Stocks Expensive?
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani—-As U.S. stock prices reach new historic highs, many investors are now wondering if another stock market cycle of boom and bust is at hand. Indeed, many financial advisors are already recommending a shifting away from stocks into safer investments such as cash and bonds. While predicting future stock price movements is…
Read MoreInsight from Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers: Global Perspectives Speaker
By Jeffrey Coburn—On September 27, 2016, the Federal Reserve of Dallas, Texas, held its Global Perspectives Speaker Series, featuring Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers. I was interested in going to the event because I want to learn more about financial economics and international economics, and two of the CSB professors, Dr. Hassan Shirvani and…
Read MoreHow to Succeed in the Cameron School of Business: An Insider’s Scoop
Whether a student is a first generation college student or comes from a long line of college graduates, college can be a new world of experiences and challenges for students. Many times students aren’t aware of the skills, behaviors, and habits that can make or break their academic career. The Cameron School of Business is…
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