Forefront

Among the trends in entrepreneurship discussed in a new report from the Kenan Institute was the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses: minority- and women-owned firms did not have access to funds available through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Research by Isil Erel, the David A. Rismiller Chair in Finance and the academic director of the Risk Institute, also showed how the use of fintech and online banking can improve access, "especially to underserved areas with lower incomes and a larger share of the minority population."

A new study by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, provides the best evidence to date that an increase in the availability of alcohol is linked to more financial troubles among the disadvantaged. 

A major trader of digital currency went live on the NASDAQ Wednesday, soaring and plunging in the first few hours of trading. Although it’s an exciting day for digital currency, it doesn’t mark the end of dollars and cents, says Matt Sheridan, a senior lecturer in finance. It does, however, legitimize other crypto assets such as Bitcoin.

Once you pencil in that dinner date on your calendar it may spoil your meal before Saturday night even gets here. Research by Assistant Marketing Professor Selin Malkoc suggests that you put down the cell phone, and stop penciling people in for that dinner date on Saturday.

Why do videoconferences leave us feeling so tired? The answer, according to a team of researchers including Kate Keeler, assistant professor of management and human resources, may center on how connected we feel with others in our virtual meetings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has blurred many people's sense of time thanks to more than a year of acute and long-term stress and the home becoming a place of both work and leisure.

It's been said experiences, not material purchases, provide consumers with greater happiness. Joe Goodman, chair of the Department of Marketing and Logistics, talks with The Consumer Researcher, a podcast produced by the Journal of Consumer Research, about his newest paper. The project explores the relevance of this "experiential advantage."

About 14% of U.S. health insurers impacted their Affordable Care Act medical loss ratio rebate bills before 2016 by overestimating how much they spent on health care, according to a new accounting research by Associate Professor of Accounting Andy Van Buskirk and his colleagues.

While many of us believe we are safe drivers, about eight people die in crashes involving a distracted driver every day in the United States. Phil Renaud, executive director of the the Risk Institute, provides insights into why distracted driving is such a dangerous problem and what can be done to prevent it.

Research by Associate Professor of Accounting Professor Andy Van Buskirk and his colleagues details how some Obamacare insurers have used estimating practices to short-change their consumers by hundreds of millions of dollars. 

The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to report the benefits they pay out to policyholders. Accounting research by Associate Professor Andrew Van Buskirk and his colleagues reveals just how off these reported estimates can be — and why.

Middle-market companies aren’t unique in facing the many challenges brought on by the pandemic, but many of them have the resiliency to emerge from it successfully. Anil Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr.

Research by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate at Fisher, shows that tough environmental laws in one country can lead to "carbon leakage" to other nations. The findings underscore the importance of "worldwide collective action to combat climate change."

Anti-pollution laws penalize firms whose activities emit CO2. Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, talk about his research that shows well-intentioned regulation may be causing multinationals to push polluting activities to poorer countries where regulation isn’t so strict.

Research by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and his colleagues shows how countries' strict environmental regulations factor into companies' decisions to locate facilities.

Thematic ETFs are one of the big investment stories of the last year, with major success in areas such as clean energy. Yet niche investments come with risks, including the prospect of buying in at the top and structural complications, according to new research from Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and his colleagues.

With personal and professional networks shrinking by as much as 16% during the pandemic, research is pointing to ways to help prevent us from withdrawing too much. A study by Tanya Menon, professor of management and human resources, says having a strong identity and core values can overcome the tendency to "turtle in."

Phil Renaud, executive director of the Risk Institute, said the governor's new distracted driving measures are part of a larger strategy for eliminating the problem. Through research and building partnerships, The Risk Institute is addressing distracted driving through legislation, behavior, technology, and urban planning/infrastructure design.

A study by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and Fisher PhD candidate Byung Wook Kim finds that many new ETFs invest in overvalued stocks, and then lag behind the broad market’s returns.

A new study with ties to Ohio State details just how many working women are sacrificing their own careers to help with childcare during the pandemic. Associate Professor of Management and Human Resources Tracy Dumas discusses the disproportionality as well as ways employers can help accommodate employees who are responsible for childcare.

Finance lecturer Matt Sheridan on the Robinhood and GameStop situation: "This is so crazy that if this was the plot of an episode of Showtime’s "Billions," people would think it’s too unrealistic." He explains the factors at play in the unique investing situation.

After a tumultuous year, a more optimistic outlook prevails for the middle market segment of the U.S. economy, according to the latest research from the National Center for the Middle Market.

Research conducted by Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, and his colleagues, shows average returns underperform the market by about four percentage points a year. The researchers argue that the huge growth in the ETF industry has intensified competition to the point that issuers are “competing for investors’ attention by emphasizing either the low price or the product’s unique features."

While declaring bankruptcy, the gun group confusingly said it was in great financial shape. Brian Mittendorf, the Fisher Designated Professor in Accounting, and his colleagues answer questions about the organization's recently announced move.

New research from Itzhak Ben-David, the Neil Klatskin Chair in Finance and Real Estate, doctoral student Byungwook Kim and their colleagues found that “Demand for specialized ETFs comes from unsophisticated investors who chase investment ideas that, in their view, will produce higher expected returns.” The result are overvalued stocks that actually lost as much as 5% per year on a risk-adjusted basis between 2000 and 2019.