The theme of this volume is 'Recovering from Financial Crisis'. The lead chapter sets the theme by giving insight into the recent surge in going-private transactions (and the corresponding reduction of Initial Public Offerings). The author develops evidence (reaching back 25 years) that going-private transactions tend to be inversely related with the return on diversified equity portfolios, suggesting that the recent upswing in going-private transactions in the United States is not simply the result of the Sarbanes - Oxley Act of 2002. The second chapter offers insights into the recent round...

The theme of this volume is "Dealing with Volatility and Enhancing Performance." The lead chapter sets the theme by giving insight into using the Chicago Board Option Exchange Volatility Index (CBOE VIX) futures in hedging strategies for equity market investors (and hedge funds). During a time when there is much concern about the perceived volatility of global equity markets, the insights offered here could be reassuring as well as useful. The second chapter offers insights into the efficiency (or lack thereof) of attempts for forecast global earnings. Then, the third chapter offers new...

The theme of Research in Finance vol. 29 is "Dealing with Crisis and Regulation." The first chapter looks for solutions to the European financial crisis, and the second provides a study of audit qualifications for accounting firms in Spain using advanced empirical methods. The next chapters are more international in focus, with topics including: business strategies for competition in Mexico; anomalies in the real return on corporate equity compared to real assets; the stabilizing influence of commodity futures trading in oil and gold. The following chapters explore the unintended consequences...