By: Dr. Jeff Jones As interest rates have hovered near record lows for nearly a decade, many investors have increasingly sought alternatives to fixed-income securities in order to provide them with steady cash flow. One such investment alternative is something called a master limited partnership, or MLP. MLPs are an alternative to the traditional corporate … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: Exploring master limited partnerships
By: Dr. Jeff Jones Volatility reflects the uncertainty of a particular outcome. In the world of investments, volatility reflects the risk of an investment. The risk of an investment is the fluctuations in price that occur over time and is generally measured by something called standard deviation. People often misconstrue risk as the chance of only a bad outcome … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: How to survive the volatility of financial markets
By Jeff Jones, CFA, CFP, CPA, CMA, CFM Asset securitization takes place when loans are combined into a pool, and then claims on the cash flows from the loans are sold to investors. In its simplest form, the three main parties associated with the asset securitization process are the loan originator, the special purpose vehicle (SPV), and investors. The loan originator … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief-Understanding asset securitization
By Jeff Jones, MBA, Ph.D Near the end of 2013, the Federal Reserve announced it would begin the process of winding down its highly controversial program known as "Quantitative Easing," or "QE" for short. The current version of QE is the third round of the program, and as such has been appropriately dubbed "QE3." Simply put, QE is a special form of monetary policy … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: Fed policy affects your portfolio
Susan J. Crain, Professor of Finance, was elected Vice President/Events of the Southwestern Finance Association. Dr. Crain will be responsible for planning and coordinating the association’s annual meeting in Dallas March, 2014. The MSU Beta Alpha Psi chapter earned “Superior Chapter” status. This award has been earned … [Read more...] about Faculty Spotlight