Publications

December 2012
Background Note

Glossary of Municipal Finance Terms

A note on municipal bond structuring. View Details

Keywords: Local Government; Political Process; Debt Management; Financial Planning; Financial Management; Bonds; Urban Development; Local Range; Government Administration

04 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How Schmoozing with the Boss Helps Men Get Promoted

new research. In fact, social bonding among men may account for more than a third of the gender gap in promotions, according to the working paper The Old Boys’ Club: Schmoozing and the Gender Gap. “I’m not surprised the old boys’ club... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

May 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

Nexgen: Structuring Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs)

A client asks Luc Giraud, CEO of the structured finance solutions provider Nexgen Financial Solutions, to put together a solution that allows the client to add AAA-rated bonds to its portfolio. The client cannot find suitably priced top-rated bonds in the market and... View Details

Keywords: Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Risk and Uncertainty; Debt Securities; Bonds; Financial Services Industry

21 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The Pandemic Conversations That Leaders Need to Have Now

but one of teammates supporting each other through unprecedented times. The McKinsey guide recommends that leaders strive to “rebuild a common social identity and a sense of belonging based on shared values, norms, and habits. Research suggests that social View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Robin Abrahams, and Katherine Connolly Baden

Article

The Collapse of First Executive Corporation: Junk Bonds, Adverse Publicity, and the Run on the Bank Phenomenon

By: S. C. Gilson, H. DeAngelo and L. DeAngelo

In April 1991, regulators seized the major subsidiaries of First Executive Corporation (FE), an insurer that invested heavily in junk bonds. During the junk bond market turmoil of 1989–1990, adverse publicity fueled a bank run at FE, forcing a $4 billion portfolio... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Bonds; Banks and Banking

Find at Harvard

29 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

'Green Bonds' May Be Our Best Bet for Environmental Damage Control

Municipalities have been selling bonds to pay for public works projects—fire stations, parking garages,sewage treatment systems—for 200 years. It’s only in the past decade or so, however, that they’ve been selling them with an extra perk: helping the environment. In... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Energy; Utilities; Construction; Green Technology; Public Administration

June 2001 (Revised July 2001)
Case

Amazon.com in the Year 2000

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Jeremy Cott

An analyst's critique of Amazon's prospectus from the perspective of its bond holders. View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Accounting Audits; Financial Reporting; Governing and Advisory Boards; Internet and the Web; Forecasting and Prediction; Retail Industry

May 2018
Article

U.S. Treasury Premium

By: Wenxin Du, Joanne Im and Jesse Schreger

We quantify the difference in the convenience yield of U.S. Treasuries and government bonds of other developed countries by measuring the deviation from covered interest parity between government bond yields. We call this wedge the “U.S. Treasury Premium.” We document... View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Investment Return; Interest Rates; Financial Crisis

Read Now

01 Feb 2023
What Do You Think?

Will Hybrid Work Strategies Pull Down Long-Term Performance?

(iStockphoto/AndreyPopov) Remote work has always been an essential part of economic activity. Some people work from home, some work from anywhere, and some work where customers need them. But the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to both full-time remote work strategies and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Research Summary

Credit markets

Bond market; Bank lending; Credit markets institutions; Credit ratings View Details

2011
Working Paper

Why Fears about Municipal Credit Are Overblown

Highly publicized predictions of 50-100 municipal defaults have caused anxiety among municipal bond investors. While there is some chance that negative investor sentiment will lead to further spread widening, the probability of the kind of widespread default that would... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Bonds; Investment Return; City

Read Now

January 1994 (Revised July 2000)
Exercise

Walt Disney Company's Sleeping Beauty Bonds--Duration Analysis

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Walt Disney Co. issues a 100-year bond. This case describes the terms of the bond and immediate capital market reaction. View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Bonds; Valuation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

July 1994 (Revised September 1995)
Case

Cougars

By: Scott P. Mason and Mihir A. Desai

Provides an introduction to zero coupon bonds and stripping coupon bonds. Concerns the relationship between the spot curve, the strip curve, and the coupon curve. View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Relationships

August 2014
Article

Mortgage Convexity

By: Samuel G. Hanson

Most home mortgages in the United States are fixed-rate loans with an embedded prepayment option. When long-term rates decline, the effective duration of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) falls due to heightened refinancing expectations. I show that these changes in MBS... View Details

Keywords: Mortgages; Interest Rates; Volatility

Find at Harvard

December 2010 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Boston Properties (A)

By: Ryan D. Taliaferro and Aldo Sesia

Investment manager Eliza Baena confronts an apparent convertible bond arbitrage opportunity when she notices a narrowing spread between two Boston Properties (BXP) bonds, one a convertible bond and the other a straight bond, in the wake of the 2008 Lehman bankruptcy.... View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Bonds; Investment

May 1998 (Revised April 2000)
Case

City of New York, The

By: Paul M. Healy

This case examines the economics of a municipality, and then explores its financial position from the perspective of a bond rating firm. View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Financial Management; Public Sector; City; Financial Statements; Government Administration

30 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 30, 2015

social auditors and for auditing firms. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49303 Working Papers Monetary Policy Drivers of Bond and Equity Risks By: Campbell, John Y., Carolin E. Pflueger, and Luis M.... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2012 (Revised December 2012)
Supplement

Sino-Forest (B)

By: David F. Hawkins

Excerpts from a hedge fund's report accusing a Chinese bond company of using fraudulent financial statements. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Crime and Corruption; Accounting Audits; Business Earnings; Financial Services Industry; China

October 2012
Case

Winfield Refuse Management, Inc.: Raising Debt vs. Equity

By: W. Carl Kester and Sunru Yong

A small, publicly traded company specializing in non-hazardous waste management considers a major acquisition in the Midwestern U.S. The acquisition can provide entry into the region, help the firm compete in a competitive industry, and improve its cost position. The... View Details

Keywords: United States; Acquisitions; Capital Structure; Equity Capital; Debt Management; Expansion; Leveraged Buyouts; Financial Analysis; Administrative/Support/Waste Management/Remediation Services; Equity; Borrowing and Debt; Service Industry