Student Theses

Thesis topics by CMC students who have completed the CMC Financial Economics Sequence as well as those in the dual degree BA/MA program.

2019-2020 Senior Theses

Fall 2019

William Buckstaff, FES, Viral Businesses and Initial IPO Returns, Professor Richard C.K. Burdekin

Dylan Byrd, BA/MA, It’s All Downhill from Here: Evidence supporting downward sloping demand curves for stocks near the Russell 1000/2000 cut-off, Professor Murat Binay 

Connor Gaskin, FES, How Announcements of the Qualified Mortgage Patch Expiration Have Impacted the United States Housing Market, Professor Eric Hughson 

Justin Hull, FES, Strategies for the Modern Investor: Evaluating Stock Recommendations from CNBC’s Fast Money, Professor Eric Hughson  

Nicholas Johnson, BA/MA, Does Complexity Pay? A Study on the Effectiveness of Various Forms of Regression at Fundamental Analysis, Professor Lisa Meulbroek

Konnor Kwok, FES, “Heat Seeking” The Truth: An Analysis of the “Heat Seeker” Trading Algorithm, Professor Murat Binay

Connor Lehner, FES, Do Divested Assets Outperform Full-Scale Acquisitions in the Short-Run?, Professor George Batta 

Austin Long, BA/MA, Property-type diversification effects on equity REIT firm value, Professor Eric Hughson

Phoebe Madsen, BA/MA, The Leverage Effect In Mergers And Acquisitions: How the Level and Type of Leverage Affects M&A Success, Professor Lisa Meulbroek

Charles Mangum, FES, “It’s Gonna be Yuge”: The Impact of Chinese Imports on United States Manufacturing Firm Valuations, Professor William Lincoln 

Nicholas Pibl, FES, Measuring a Successful Marriage: The Impact of Target Company ESG scores on the Merger Arbitrage Spread, Professor Murat Binay

James Alex Plunk, BA/MA, The Information in Levering Up: An Analysis of Market Reactions to Leverage Changes in Biotech, Professor Eric Hughson

 

Spring 2020

Jacob Bain, BAMA, Investigating the Relationship Between Interest Rates and Lodging Reit Returns: Analyzing the Variability After the Global Financial Crisis, Prof. Eric Hughson

Tyler Chen, BAMA, A Re-Examination of the Interest Rate Sensitivity of Business Development Company (BDC) Stock Returns, Prof. Janet Smith

Christian Curcio, FES, Analyzing the Minute by Minute Price Reactions to the SP500 future Index Following President Donald Trump’s Tweets, Prof. Eric Hughson

Samuel Garvin, BAMA, The Effect of Signaling Activity by Commodity Producing Companies on Future Operating Performance and Future Commodity Returns, Prof. George Batta 

Yiping (Sarah) Lu, BAMA, Predicting Recovery Rates using Machine Learning Algorithms: the Relative Usefulness of Alternative Methods, Prof. George Batta

Alexander McKenna, FES, Explaining Stock Returns Surrounding Novel Drug Approvals Using Drug and Firm Characteristics, Prof. Darren Filson  

Lude Rong, FES, Financial Market Reactions to Violation Disclosures from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Prof. Mary Evans 

Tanisha Sheth, FES, A Choice Model for Correspondent Banking Relationships, Prof. Angela Vossmeyer

Colton Smith, BAMA, A Further Investigation into the Prevalence of the Winner’s Curse Using Post-Great-Recession Data, Prof. Benjamin Gillen

Samuel Willett, FES, Investor Reactions to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, Prof. Mary Evans

Jingcheng “Eric” Zhu, FES, Robust Backtesting Analysis Evaluating Different Moments Estimation Strategies with Subset Optimization in Large US Equity Universe, Prof. Benjamin Gillen   

 

2018-2019 Senior Theses

Fall 2018

Patricio Aguilar, FES, The Nature of Latin American Markets in the Presence of Credit Events, Prof. Fan Yu

Hannah Berg, FES, Liquidity Risk and Mutual Fund Manager’s Stock Choice, Prof. Eric Hughson

Mackenzie Bradford, BA/MA, To Rely or Not to Rely? A Study of how Analyst Earnings Forecast Error Changes Leading up to Recessions, Prof. Matthew Magilke and Prof. Manfred Keil

Nicholas DeGallier, BA/MA, Venture Capital Investment Duration: Asia, Europe, and North America, Prof. Murat Binay  

Yutao (James) Jiang, BA/MA, Leveraged Buyouts: The Predictive Power of Target Firm Characteristics, Prof. George Batta 

James Keneally, FES, Modeling Returns on Carbon Emission Allowances: An Application to RGGI, Prof. Mary Evans and Prof. Mark Huber

Jack Lori, FES, The Growth of Socially Responsible Investing in U.S. Equity Markets and Abnormal Sin Stock Returns, Prof. Daren Filson

Logan Miller, FES, California, the Land of Opportunity Zones: Using the Real Estate Market to Evaluate a New Tax Program, Prof. Matthew Magilke

Charles Novogradac, BA/MA, An Evaluation of a Simple Merger Arbitrage Strategy in Middle-Market Mergers and Acquisitions, Prof. Darren Filson 

Mark Sui, BA/MA, Do There Exist Industry-Specific Predictors of Deal Failure in Technology M&A?, Prof. Murat Binay 

Krystal Sung, FES, Are Women Executives Hurting Firm Performance? An Examination of Gender Diversity on Firm Risk, Performance, and Executive Compensation, Prof. Heather Antecol

Shujie (John) Xia, BA/MA, IPO Underpricing: The Role of Expected Future Business Conditions, Prof. Eric Hughson 

 

Spring 2019 

Jared Barclay, BA/MA , Golden Years: Gold Mining Equity Returns After Introduction of the All-In Sustaining Cost Metric, Prof. Matthew Magilke

Chloe Cho, BA/MA, Does managerial risk-taking incentives for R&D investments translate to future earnings? Prof. George Batta

Mackenzie Cooney, FES, YIELD – CURVE MOMENTUM, Prof. Eric Hughson

Matthew Daruty, FES, The Fall of the 10-K Report: Measuring the Impact of Accounting Ratios on Financial Performance, Prof. Matthew Magilke

John Everett, FES, Passive Investing’s Implications for Actively Managed Funds, Prof. Eric Hughson

Roma Forest, BA/MA, Value of Corporate Political Ties in Southeast Asia, Prof. Eric Hughson

Jennifer Mace, FES, Are CDS Auctions the Tail Wagging the Dog? An Empirical Study of Corporate Bond Return Volatility at the Time of Default, Prof. Fan Yu

Alexander Malmlund, FES, The Financial Incentives to Adopting Corporate Social Responsibly and Socially Responsible Investing Practices, Prof. Matthew Magilke 

Nikolas Papageorgiou, FES, M&A Performance: Market’s Initial Reaction as an Unbiased Indicator or Post-acquisition Performance, Prof. Murat Binay  

Lan Phan, FES, Voluntary Disclosure of Non-Financial Key Performance Indicators during Earnings Releases, Prof. George Batta

John Savard, FES, Abnormal Returns around Lock-Up Expiration Date and the Explanatory Power of Insider Trading for Technology Firms, Prof. Yong Kim

Joseph Scheuer, FES, Growing Earnings Response Coefficients: Are analysts getting smarter, or are investors getting lazy? Prof. Eric Hughson

Patrick Thomas, FES, Financing Method and Abnormal Returns in Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions, Prof. Murat Binay

Sylvan Zhang, FES, The Predictive Power of the VIX Futures Prices on Future Realized Volatility, Prof. Fan Yu

 

 

2017-2018 Senior Theses
Crystal Anderson, FES, The Effect of the Mandatory Adoption of IFRS on Transparency for Investors, Professor George Batta
Emily Bassett, FES, The Effect of Chinese Capital Control Liberalizations on Shanghai Stock Market Integration, Professor Richard Burdekin
Abhishek Biyani, FES, An Event Study to understand the Varied Response of Demonetization on the Indian Stock Exchange, Professor Cameron Shelton
Bhavika Booragadda , FES, IPO Underpricing and Insider Wealth Maximization in Internet firms, Professor Lisa Meulbroek
Cara Brinster, FES, The Mortgage Interest Deduction and Implications of Its Limitation In Tax Reform, Professor Matthew Magilke
Jack Brown, FES, The Effects of the Correspondent Banking Network on the Real Economy, Professor Angela Vossmeyer
Victor Bunce, BA/MA, Does Growth Drive Valuation? An Analysis of Percent Revenue Growth as a Multiples-Based Valuation Method in Public Mergers and Acquisitions , Professor George Batta
Amberish Chitre, BA/MA, The Effect of the Change in Call Loan Rates and Volatility on Stock Returns in 1929: An Empirical Study into a Determinant of the Great Depression, Professor Eric Hughson
Tim de Silva, FES, Are Volatility Expectations in Different Countries Interdependent? A Data-Driven Solution to Structural VAR Identification for Implied Equity Volatility Indices, Professor Fan Yu
Kendall Greenberg, BA/MA, You Can Run But You Can’t Hide: The Advance of Shareholder Activism, Professor Murat Binay
Alexander Huesing, FES, Crude Oil Volatility during the Shale Revolution, Professor Eric Hughson
Kanishk Kapur, FES, Is the Accruals Anomaly More Persistent in Firms With Weak Internal Controls? , Professor George Batta
Ammar Karmali, FES, Analyzing Large Shocks to the Dows Jones Industrial Average using Historical Industry-Specific Leverage Ratios, Professor Eric Hughson
Bryan Lynch, FES, The Effect of Gender Diversity on Liquidity Risk and Bank Performance, Professor Yaron Raviv
Clara Madsen, FES, The Effects of U.S and UK Quantitative Easing on the U.S and UK Commercial Real Estate Markets, Professor Richard Burdekin
Joe Malgesini, FES, A Smart Beta Approach to Fama-French and Profitability, Professor Eric Hughson
Arya Nakhjavani, FES, Geo-Political Risk-Augmented Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Effect on Long-Term Stock Market Returns, Professor Eric Hughson
Geno Quaid, BA/MA, Event Study of Amazon Entering New Markets and the Effects on Incumbent Firm Stock Prices, Professor Eric Hughson
Lauren Rosenberger, FES, The Impact of Regulation on Industry Abnormal Returns Following The 1933 Bank Holiday, Professor Eric Hughson
Benjamin Sacks , FES, Model Specification for CMBS Loan Default: A Retrospective Look at CMBS Performance Through the Great Recession, Professor Eric Hughson
Latisha Shah, BA/MA, Institutional Ownership in Relation to the Mandatory Audit Firm Rotation Rule and its Effect on Audit Quality, Professor Andrew Finley
Aarushi Tibrewala, BA/MA, Risk and Returns: The Impact of Political Risk on Financial Returns in Emerging and Developed Markets, Professor Murat Binay
Shruti Topudurti, BA/MA, Determinants of Flows Between Active and Passive Equity Investments, Professor Darren Filson
Daniel Walker, FES, Returns to Buying Winners and Selling Losers: A Look at Cryptocurrencies, Professor Fan Yu
Peter Welch, FES, Model Specification for Bank Failure: A Retrospective Look at Banks in Missouri during the Great Depression, Professor Angela Vossmeyer
Zihan (Cathy) Ye, FES, Success Factors of First Time Fund in Venture Capital, Professor Darren Filson
2016-2017 Senior Theses
Nathan (Gator) Adams, FES, Is Silence the Answer?, Professor George Batta
Tanvi Bhargava, FES, Financial Performance of Football Teams: Effects of Win Maximization, Performance and Transfer Spending on Stock Prices, Professor Richard Burdekin
Jack Gerstenberger, FES, The Impact of Macroeconomic Changes on Restaurant Segment Stock Returns, Professor Darren Filson
Jinlin (Dennis) Gu, FES, Housing Prices in Jingjinji, Huninghang and Pearl River Delta, Professor Richard Burdekin
Matthieu Hafemeister, FES, Understanding the Impact and Implications of Labor Leverage on Cash Holdings, Professor Joshua Rosett
Griffin Lazarus, FES, Stock Returns and Industrial Production: A Sectoral Analysis, Professor Marc Weidenmier
Jizi Lu, FES, Effects of the Gender of the Real Estate Agents on House Prices, Professor Yaron Raviv
Tania Salomon, FES, The Risk-Return Characteristics and Diversification Benefits of Fine Wine Investment, Professor Manfred Keil, Janet Smith
Chuyi (Wendy) Sheng, FES, The Impact of the Shadow Banking Industry on the Effectiveness of Monetary Policies in China, Professor Richard Burdekin
Yunyi (Joanna) Wang,  Does Wall Street Love the Federal Reserve?, Professor Eric Hughson
Chengwu (Harris) Xuan, FES, Does the Use of Financial Derivatives Affect Distance-to Default: Evidence from U.S. Holding Companies, Professor George Batta
2015-2016 Senior Theses
Najeer Ahmed, FES, Addressing the Post-Keynesian Critique: Exchange Rate Determination with an Extended Mundell-Fleming Model, Professor Sven Arndt
Justin Beck, FES, NAFTA’s Impact on Mexico, the U.S., and Canada’s Economies: A Look at Stock Returns, Professor Sven Arndt, Ricardo Fernholz
Ahmed Eltamami, FES, The Effect of Increased Regulation on Option Use within the Information Technology Industry, Professor Lisa Meulbroek
James Ingram, FES, The Effects of the 1933 Bank Holiday and the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 on the Systematic Risks of Various Industries, Professor Eric Hughson
Eduardo Ramirez, FES, Does Size and Industry Affect CEO Performance? The Effect of CEO Succession Announcements on Firm Value, Professor Darren Filson
Sharan Seth, FES, The Effects of Managerial Turnover on Share Prices of Publicly Traded English Football Teams, Professor Darren Filson
Andrew Sova, FES, The Effect of Negative Special Items on Future Income in Different Sectors , Professor Eric Hughson
Zhengyang Xu, FES, Contagion and Competitive Intra-Industry Effects of Default Announcements – Evidence from Chinese Bond Market, Professor Fan Yu
Xinying Yow, FES, Measuring the Effectiveness of China’s Capital Flow Management and Progress on Capital Account Liberalization, Professor Sven Arndt
Emily Zhang, FES, San Francisco’s Housing Price Surge: Strained Market Fundamentals or Exaggerated Expectations?, Professor Richard Burdekin
Shiyu Zhang, FES, Relationship between Real Estate Market and Stock Market in China, Professor Fan Yu