Publications

23 Sep 2008
Working Paper Summaries

New Framework for Measuring and Managing Macrofinancial Risk and Financial Stability

Keywords: by Dale F. Gray, Robert C. Merton & Zvi Bodie

Web

Banking System - Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability

Source: Flow of Funds Banking Sector Balance Sheet Source: Bank Holding Company Y9C Data Source: Bank Holding Company Y9C Data Source: Bank Holding Company Y9C Data Banking Sector Profitability Return on equity (ROE) has rebounded from its lows during the View Details

January 2009 (Revised February 2010)
Case

Necessity and Invention: Monetary Policy Innovation and the Subprime Crisis

By: Aldo Musacchio and Dante Roscini

This case describes the efforts of Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, to improve liquidity in money markets during the subprime crisis. The case explains the four main new tools for monetary policy (or quantitative easing) the Federal Reserve has used... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Money; Financial Liquidity; Central Banking; Policy; Business and Government Relations

February 2018
Article

Structural GARCH: The Volatility-Leverage Connection

By: Robert F. Engle and Emil N. Siriwardane

During the financial crisis, financial firm leverage and volatility both rose dramatically. Consequently, institutions are being asked to reduce leverage in order to reduce risk, though the effectiveness depends upon the role of capital structure in volatility. To... View Details

Keywords: Leverage; Credit Risk; Crisis Management; Equity; Volatility; Credit; Risk Management; Financial Crisis

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July 2012 (Revised May 2024)
Supplement

Lyric Dinner Theater (B)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Jim Sharpe

Supplements the (A) Case. Deborah Denenberg reflects on the results and actions taken during the 12 months following her first 6 months on the job. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurial Management; Crisis; Turn; Family Business; Financial Crisis; Boards Of Directors; Operations Management; Strategy Implementation; Career Planning; Entrepreneurship; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

March 2013
Case

NovaStar Financial: A Short Seller's Battle

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Amy Kaser

The NovaStar case describes the challenges faced by short seller Marc Cohodes of hedge fund Rocker Partners as he tried to expose what he thought was widespread fraud in mortgage lender NovaStar Financial. The case is set in the time period from 2001 to 2007 and tracks... View Details

24 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

Financial Meltdowns Are More Predictable Than We Thought

increased the odds of a crisis to 40 percent." “Previous authors had shown that there was some ability to predict financial crises,” says Hanson, a professor of business administration in the HBS Finance... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services

01 Dec 2009
News

Document Assesses Impact of Financial Crisis, Looks Ahead

Annual Report The economic crisis was a catalyst for radical shifts in budget management at HBS, which enabled the School to remain cash flow positive and conclude the year ended June 30, 2009, with a strong reserves balance. The HBS... View Details

December 2008
Article

The Credit Crisis of 2008: Causes, Consequences and Implications for India

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

This article gives a brief overview of the causes and consequences of the current global credit crisis. The article then discusses the benefits and potential drawbacks of real estate loan securitization in India, and what India can do to realize those benefits while... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Credit; Mortgages; Real Estate Industry; India

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31 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Quantitative Easing Didn’t Ease the Housing Crisis for the Neediest

financial crisis, for example, the Federal Reserve orchestrated multiple rounds of QE. In the initial round, QE1, the Fed bought $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities and $300 billion in Treasury bonds. During QE2, the Fed... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

2009
Other Unpublished Work

The Pecora Hearings

By: David Moss, Cole Bolton and Eugene Kintgen

In 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, the Senate Banking Committee began a much-publicized investigation of the nation's financial sector. The hearings, which came to be known as the Pecora hearings after the Banking Committee's lead counsel Ferdinand... View Details

Keywords: Financial History; Financial Crisis; Financial Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government Legislation; Laws and Statutes; Business and Government Relations; Financial Services Industry

October 2023
Case

Kevin O'Leary: Building a Brand in Shark-infested Waters

By: Reza Satchu and Patrick Sanguineti

For more than fifteen years, successful Canadian entrepreneur and investor Kevin O’Leary had developed his brand into a global powerhouse. Since his first appearance on the Canadian television program Dragons’ Den in 2006 and his meteoric rise to stardom through the... View Details

Keywords: Personal Brand; Crisis; Brands and Branding; Entrepreneurship; Crisis Management; Social Media; Public Opinion; Power and Influence; Financial Services Industry

26 Nov 2019
News

Predicting Financial Market Bubbles and Crises in Real-time

Source: Greenwood Source: Greenwood Professor Robin Greenwood notes that faculty members across Harvard have long been exploring the behavioral perspective on financial market bubbles and financial crises.... View Details

Keywords: Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments

May 2008
Teaching Note

Subprime Meltdown: American Housing and Global Financial Turmoil

By: Julio J. Rotemberg

Teaching Note for [708042]. View Details

Keywords: Mortgages; Debt Securities; Risk and Uncertainty; Financial Markets; Financial Crisis; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Central Banking; Policy; United States; Europe

2015
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Robert Whelan and the Student Loan Crisis (B)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Grace Sza-Hua Chen and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Bob Whelan developed an idea with partners that was a seed before his fellowship year and addressed a significant national challenge - college financing - with a creative concept and experience from his years in investment banking. His nonprofit was called 13th Avenue... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Higher Education; Financing and Loans; Borrowing and Debt; Leading Change; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

July 2012 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Lyric Dinner Theater (A)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Jim Sharpe

Looking back at five years of losses, Rivka Belzer, a newly minted MBA, steps into her family owned business with their mandate to turn it around or close it. In her first six months, she has made a number of changes, with mixed results, but is beginning to show a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurial Management; Crisis Management; Family Business; Turnarounds; Financial Crisis; Boards Of Directors; Operations Management; Strategy Implementation; Career Planning; Entrepreneurship; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

2007
Working Paper

New Framework for Measuring and Managing Macrofinancial Risk and Financial Stability

By: Dale F. Gray, Robert C. Merton and Zvi Bodie

This paper proposes a new approach to improve the way central banks can analyze and manage the financial risks of a national economy. It is based on the modern theory and practice of contingent claims analysis (CCA), which is successfully used today at the level of... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Macroeconomics; Central Banking; Risk Management

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February 2007 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Navigating Turbulent Waters: Glitnir Bank's Communication Challenge during a Macroeconomic Crisis

By: Michael D. Kimbrough, Gregory S. Miller, Vincent Marie Dessain and Ane Damgaard Jensen

Glitnir Bank is an Icelandic company following an aggressive growth strategy that relies heavily on foreign debt. Access to such debt is suddenly curtailed when there is a downturn in market sentiment regarding the Icelandic economy as a whole. Students will reflect on... View Details

Keywords: International Finance; Banks and Banking; Macroeconomics; Communication Strategy; Banking Industry; Iceland

January 1997 (Revised March 1997)
Case

Crisis at the Federal Reserve: Arthur Burns and the Stagflation of 1973-75

By: David A. Moss and Wyatt C. Wells

Briefly examines the history of the Federal Reserve System up through 1970 and then delves into how the central bank, under the leadership of Arthur F. Burns, responded to the "stagflation" of the early 1970s. It culminates with the Federal Reserve's response to the... View Details

Keywords: Central Banking; Inflation and Deflation; Government Administration; Financial Crisis; United States