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Forms the first part of a two‐part study reporting on the cost‐effectiveness of specific training programmes within Parcelforce UK. Assesses the effectiveness of a driver training programme in a major Parcelforce region. Measures the cost‐effectiveness of the training performance in terms of vehicle‐maintenance costs, accident rates and fuel consumption. Discusses the difficulties in measuring the cost‐effectiveness of training.

This is the second part of a study which sought to cost the effectiveness of major training programmes. While the first part reported on training designed for a specific target group of drivers, this second study reports on the cost effectiveness of a management training programme designed to produce improved productivity in a major parcel handling office. Discusses the results in terms of: improvements in British Standards Institute ratings for the industry; terms of associated cost savings in parcel handling; and finally more subjective beneficial outcomes.

Discusses the recently published draft standard from the Bank of England that covers most controversial banking regulatory areas. States that there may well be advantages in a fair value approach for banks but disclosure of fair values would probably be preferable. Looks at the S&L crisis in the USA and how legislation worked in its case. Elaborates on Denmark’s comprehensive fair value approach that suggests that adjustments in this system do increase earnings and value of capital volatility. Pinpoints bond market problems and liabilities valuation. Contends that there would be advantages in adopting disclosure of fair values.

We investigated the association of COVID-19 indicators and economic uncertainty indices on payment-based system cryptocurrency (i.e. Bitcoin, Ripple and Dogecoin) returns.

We used an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for panel data and performed robustness checks by utilizing a random effect model (REM) and generalized method of moments (GMM). There are 25 most adopted cryptocurrency’s countries and the data spans from 22 March 2021 to 6 May 2022.

This research discovered four findings: (1) the index of COVID-19 vaccine confidence (VCI) recovers the economic and Bitcoin has become more attractive, causing investors to shift their investment from Dogecoin to Bitcoin. However, the VCI was revealed to be insignificant to Ripple; (2) during uncertain times, Bitcoin could perform as a diversifier, while Ripple could behave as a diversifier, safe haven or hedge. Meanwhile, the movement of Dogecoin prices tended to be influenced by public figures’ actions; (3) public opinion on Twitter and government policy changes regarding COVID-19 and economy had a crucial role in investment decision making; and (4) the COVID-19 variants revealed insignificant results to payment-based system cryptocurrency returns.

This study contributed to verifying the vaccine confidence index effect on payment-based system cryptocurrency returns. Also, we further investigated the uncertainty indicators impacting on cryptocurrency returns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, we utilized the COVID-19 variants as a cryptocurrency returns’ new determinant.

To compare the key EU regimes regulating direct lending by private funds.

Provides a summary of the key factors to be examined when looking at the provision of direct loans by private funds in the key jurisdictions, followed by a summary of existing pan-European regulations, followed by a focus regulations in on the UK, Germany, France and Italy.

The liberalisation of the national regimes for loan origination by funds in many European Union jurisdictions is a welcome development for both credit fund sponsors wishing to access investment opportunities in these jurisdictions and the borrowers unable to secure adequate financing from traditional sources such as banks. At the same time, the creation of a pan-European regulatory regime, with a passport for lending activities, would further facilitate market access by loan originating funds, as long as such regime does not impose onerous burdens or unnecessary restrictions on the funds and their managers.

The article gives an insight on the relative opportunities for direct lending funds in the EU, and how best to structure to take advantage of them.

Practical guidance from experienced financial services lawyers

This paper aims to examine the impact of health and other exogenous shocks on stock markets in Africa. Particularly, the authors examined the resilience of the major stock markets in 12 African economies during the recent global pandemic.

This paper uses the recent panel vector autoregressive model, which enables us to capture the response of stock markets to shocks in COVID-19, commodity markets and exchange rate. For robustness, the authors also analysed the panel Granger causality test. Data was obtained for the period ranging from 2 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

The results show that the growth in COVID-19 cases and deaths do not have any substantial impact on the stock market returns of these economies. In terms of commodity markets, the authors find that gold price has a negative contemporaneous effect on stock returns, but the effect fizzles out around the fifth day while crude oil price, on the other hand, has a significant positive simult aneous impact on stock returns and also converges around the fifth day. The authors further find that the exchange rate has a contemporaneous and nonlinear effect on stock returns and seems to be more dramatic when compared with the other variables. Overall, the results show that stock markets in Africa appear to be flexible and resilient against the COVID-19 outbreak but are affected by other exogenous shocks such as volatile commodity prices and the foreign exchange market. The effect is, however, short-lived – between one to five days.

Following the study’s findings, policies should be put in place to support financial markets by way of hedging against commodity instability and securing domestic currency financing. Policymakers are also recommended to concentrate on managing the uncertainties around their exchange rate markets and develop robust and efficient domestic financial markets to encourage local and foreign investors.

Several studies have been carried out on the effects of disasters (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) on stock markets, but only a few studies have examined the resilience of stock markets to health and other exogenous shocks. This study’s attempt is not only to examine the impact of COVID-19 health shocks on stock markets but also to analyse the resilience of the sampled stock markets. The authors also analyse the resilience of stock markets to commodity markets and exchange rates shocks.

Recent proposals to require all financial instruments to be measured at fair value are raising some pretty basic issues about bank accounting. The author, who headed up the UK end of the project to produce the new rules, argues whether, as bankers might suggest, they are overkill or whether they are a reasonable response to a serious problem. He argues that accounting rules around the world are moving steadily away from historical cost accounting and towards fair value accounting. The banks argue that their figures would become more volatile. The standard‐setters argue that, if reporting more realistically shows volatility, then so be it. But the proposals are the most comprehensive examination of the problem and he commends its study.

The purpose of this paper is to aid understanding of the changes in Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) regulatory strategies after the global financial crisis.

The author uses the credit valuation adjustment (CVA) charge reform as a test case for inquiring whether BCBS has departed from its pre-crisis facilitative regulatory strategy path. The regulatory strategy of the CVA charge is discussed.

The charge exhibits a new regulatory strategy that BCBS has adopted. It seeks to manipulate market structures by imposing risk-insensitive capital charge methodologies.

The paper offers a new heuristic to analyse regulatory initiatives and their significance. The CVA charge has not been subject to a regulatory theory-based analysis in prior literature.

The purpose of this study is to explain the mixed results to changes in the DJIA index documented in the literature. The authors show that economic cycles, especially recessionary periods, explain the difference in findings.

The authors examine changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) from 1929 to 2019 to evaluate immediate and long-term market reactions after a component change. Using multiple event-study methodologies, the authors examine the full era, the pre- and post-exchange traded fund (ETF) windows and economic cycles using both pre and post-estimation windows.

In aggregate, DJIA additions do not present an increase in wealth; however, wealth effects are positive during expansions and negative during recessions. Deletions have a negative wealth effect. The authors find weak evidence of an indexing effect. Additions are positive post-1998, and deletions remain negative regardless of era. In the long run, firms added to the DJIA have positive abnormal returns in the second year after inclusion. Deletions in recessionary times have negative returns three years after removal, a signal of longer-term wealth decline for these firms.

The DJIA changes periodically to better represent industries relevant to the blue-chip market, and the findings have implications for fund managers and active investors.

The DJIA changes periodically to better represent industries relevant to the blue-chip market, and the findings have implications for fund managers and active investors.

Prior literature presents limited time series of data points and mixed results and implications. The authors find that the economic cycle is a driving factor that supports predicted signs and amounts of wealth change. Furthermore, the authors see limited ETF impact on DJIA changes and some impact of the choice of estimation period.

Today's tourists seek authenticity and high-quality experiences. This chapter presents exploratory results from a tourist well-being project conducted in Madeira Island, Portugal. Using a tourism well-being scale, onsite and online data were collected in 2019. The study suggests that tourists with higher well-being are younger, have lower qualifications, are retired and/or students, first timers, and mainly Portuguese (mainland). Participants identify gastronomy, walk in nature, and landscape as the three most enjoyed activities/experiences. Results showed that tourists in Madeira want to have fun, experience something unique, and develop positive relationships. This study opens doors to offer customized experiences considering tourists psychological profile and their well-being.