Gautam Gowrisankaran is a Professor of Economics at Columbia University, Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, and Professeur afilié at HEC Montréal.

Join us to hear from Sang Byung Seo, University of Wisconsin. His presentation is titled, "The Risk and Return of Equity and Credit Index Options". Abstract: We develop a structural credit risk model, which allows us to price equity/credit indices and their options through the asset dynamics of index constituents. We estimate the model via MLE and find that equity and credit index option prices are well explained out-of-sample. Contrary to recent empirical findings, the two option markets are not inconsistently priced through the lens of our model. Returns on both options, while extreme, do not indicate any evidence of mispricing. Our analysis suggests that jointly addressing the pricing of various instruments requires a balance between three sources of systematic risk: asset, variance, and jump risks. The Clarence Tow Lectures in Finance Series brings high-profile researchers to the Tippie College of Business to present to an audience of faculty, PhD students, and researchers from around the University of Iowa.

Kelly O'Berry is the Assistant Director of IRB Education and Outreach at the UI Human Subjects Office. The Behavior Research Seminar (BRS) is a low-pressure, safe place for Tippie faculty and PhD students to share new ideas and seek feedback in the early stages of a research project.

Piotr Dworczak is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University.

Join us to hear from Matteo Binfare, University of Missouri. His presentation is titled, "Investing with Purpose: Evidence from Private Foundations". Abstract: We study the asset allocation, spending behavior, fees, and investment performance of U.S. private foundations. We find that large foundations generate positive risk-adjusted returns of about one percent per year. Larger and more sophisticated foundations perform better and invest more aggressively. Foundations with concentrated stock holdings have higher returns, but also take on more risk. Because of the constraints imposed by the five percent minimum spending rule and accommodating monetary policy, private foundations increase their risk-taking and reach for yield. Due to these constraints, a conservative asset allocation will decrease real wealth over time resulting in less charitable giving. The Clarence Tow Lectures in Finance Series brings high-profile researchers to the Tippie College of Business to present to an audience of faculty, PhD students, and researchers from around the University of Iowa. 

Hie Joo Ahn is a Principal Economist on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Systems.