Finance & accounting

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) have grown in popularity as a tool for targeting specific groups of investments. How do they affect the market? Darden Professor Rich Evans and Maureen O’Hara of Cornell’s S.C. Johnson College of Business discuss industry ETFs and their influence on market efficiency.

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated large portions of the global economy and spurred an enormous government response to stem the fallout. Darden Professor Kinda Hachem considers the state of the U.S. economy and the extraordinary efforts underway to prevent further collapse.

The importance of a culture that respects different perspectives: What does political ideology have to do with mutual funds? Profit. Darden Professor Rich Evans’ research shows that funds managed by teams with diverse political views perform better than those with similar political beliefs. Here, he elaborates on the study and an important caveat.

Raising venture capital isn’t for the faint of heart, but the challenges are magnified for female founders. Professors Saras Sarasvathy and Elena Loutskina share insights on barriers women face to raising risk capital and how to overcome them.

What can railroad bonds from 150 years ago teach us about globalization, portfolio diversification and the cost of financial market segmentation? At a time when markets are increasingly isolated globally and limit opportunities to invest abroad, new research examines what investors are willing to pay to gain access to investment in foreign markets

It’s not uncommon for incoming CEOs to hire new senior staff when they join companies. But when they hire new CFOs, might those CFOs be pressured to manage earnings in a way that benefits the CEOs’ pay? New research examines these C-suite relationships and what they might mean for the long-term health of a company.

Opportunity zones offer investors the chance to reduce capital gains taxes by investing in areas high in poverty. But the legislation came with a small window of opportunity, and critics see a lack of visible development thus far. What’s the greatest chance of success for residents and investors? How can the challenges be overcome?

Benchmarks are critical to decision-making. It stands to reason, then, that an investment decision should have its own benchmark: the cost of capital. Here, Darden Professor Michael Schill offers four principles to guide the investor in measuring risk and expected return to estimate the cost of capital.
Collection: Investing Insights