The methods and aims of activist short sellers and financial analysts are often at odds. In a highly competitive environment, there is a battle for narrative authority, with short sellers often criticizing analysts. New research examines this struggle, and how — or if — analysts respond to challenges.
By Hervé Stolowy , Luc Paugam
Professor of Finance and Executive Director of the Société Générale Energy & Finance Chair at HEC Paris, Jean-Michel Gauthier spoke to us on March 3, one week after Russia invaded Ukraine. Jean-Michel is a veteran of the energy business. After a start in the oil and gas industry, he moved to the energy consulting for 16 years as a partner at Deloitte. In parallel, he joined HEC Paris’ finance department in 2006. The school campus is where we discuss the dramatic events developing in Ukraine. Jean-Michel focuses on a key factor behind the conflict: the question of energy. Not just the pipelines that bring Europe 40% of its natural gas and much of its oil – but also the knock-on effects on all energy sources that prop up our global economy. He helps us understand what role energy is playing in this ongoing conflict and where these upheavals could lead the entire planet.
This special issue aims to show the excellence and diversity of the research conducted by HEC Paris PhD candidates and alumni. You will find a selection of cutting-edge findings, answering crucial questions such as: Is AI a threat to human creativity? Should we listen to the Wall Street gurus? How to better manage one’s promotion? How much do we value our private data? What are ambiguity and risk attitudes? How bad is the mere presence of a phone? HEC Paris PhD Program, headed by finance professor Johan Hombert, supports its students throughout their thesis writing and job placement in the best universities and business schools, such as the MIT, Wharton and Harvard Business School. Most PhD alumni continue to collaborate with professors at HEC, thanks to the strong relationships they have developed during their journey.
A new study developed by Thomas Åstebro, Professor of Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris, finds that the number of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms using artificial intelligence has increased dramatically in the past decade. The study claims that while increasing efficiency overall, AI will also change deal-making processes and destroy junior-level jobs. This article summarizes the article, ‘An Inside Peek at AI Use in Private Equity’, published in the Journal of Financial Data Science (Summer 2021, jfds.2021.1.067) with Portfolio Management Research (PMR).
As the U.S. staggers beneath the weight of its education debt – a crushing $1.6 trillion in 2020 – there are increasing calls for loan forgiveness. But debt forgiveness plans need to be crafted carefully or they might actually disproportionately favor high-income individuals or specific ethnic groups. A duo of Finance researchers, Sylvain Catherine of Wharton School and Constantine Yannelis of Chicago Booth School of Business, explains how to tailor such policies to better redistribute their benefits. Sylvain Catherine is a HEC Paris PhD alumnus.
By Sylvain Catherine
On September 7, El Salvador became the world’s first nation to make the cryptocurrency bitcoin legal tender across the country. This bold initiative from the tiny Central American state is dissected by HEC Paris Professor in Finance Bruno Biais, who has written several top research papers on cryptocurrency.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many households started to invest in the stock market expecting to pick the winning stocks and to take advantage of the high volatility. This phenomenon has been possible thanks to the development of trading applications such as Robinhood, which provides individual investors with the opportunity to buy and sell stocks easily. Because most individual investors do not have sufficient time and financial skills, they need to find relevant information to pick stocks. While some of them use social networks such as Twitter, Stocktwits or the WallStreetBets discussions on Reddit, other investors rely on the Wall Street gurus. Is that really a good idea to listen to them?
Jean-Noël Barrot is an associate professor at HEC Paris and member of parliament for Yvelines in France’s National Assembly, combining his political work with his research in finance. On June 29, he submitted a report to the government in which he detailed proposals to help France recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, Jean-Noël Barrot explains how he manages to combine his research and his role in parliament in an effective way.
The business model of many tech companies is based on collecting and using data about their customers. Google and Facebook generate revenues by selling targeted ads tailored to users' personal information. Amazon shows you the product they forecast you will buy. Tesla collects data on drivers' behavior and is said to plan using these data to enter into the insurance business. Google has just acquired smartwatch producer Fitbit, which collects data about users' health. The list goes on and on. So why most of us still widely share our personal data, even when we claim to be worried by the lack of online privacy?
What is a cryptocurrency? And what are the stakes of maintaining its stability? What role does it play in Economics and politics? In this interview, Bruno Biais, HEC Paris Professor of Finance and expert of cryptocurrencies, explains.