Finance

While our academic staff undertake research in key areas of specialisation, as a school we equally promote cross-disciplinary research through our diverse research groups and centres.

The aim of our research in the Finance Discipline is to engage in both industry and academic relevant discussion through our quality seminars, advisory boards, finance colloquiums and industry as well as academic conferences, which help us shape the research agenda. Some of the key areas of expertise that we deliver include:

Asset pricing: We focus on various empirical finance and  capital markets and focus on investment and  risk-return analysis, volatility modelling  stock market efficiency and anomalies; derivative pricing and risk management; market microstructure; and quantitative finance

Sustainable/Green Finance: We analyse the impact of environment, social or governance (ESG) criteria in financial services; How those criteria affect decisions in investment and capital expenditure while being beneficial to both the investor and society at large; we focus on measuring the implications of different products including impact investing, the impact of ESG investing, hedging against climate risk.

Corporate Finance: We explore areas such as corporate board independence and diversity, corporate risk management and excessive executive compensation, through company governance activities such as increasing diversity and accountability of the board, protecting shareholders and their rights, and reporting and disclosing information.

Behavioural Finance: We study the role of behavioural biases and sentiment in the financial decision-making process. We extend behavioural studies in financial markets using approaches grounded in psychological research, with applications in asset pricing, corporate finance, and household finance.

Financial market innovation and wellbeing: We analyse trends in the domestic and international movement of capital as well as the impediments of tax and regulation and stability of banking systems; We also examine the role of corporate governance and institutional quality on the process of capital raising and global financial markets; we focus on the price impacts of corporate events such as dividend payouts, corporate spin-offs, share buybacks and Initial Public Offerings (IPOs); Evaluation the design of retirement funding in global pension systems; assessment of pension adequacy with a focus on the assessment of pension for women.

In addition, our academic experts undertake research in:

• Banking
• Market microstructure and information
• International Finance
• Behavioural Finance
• Green Policies
• Quantitative Finance
• Financial Econometrics

We offer a high-quality PhHD program with our academic staff available for supervision in their respective areas.

For further information about research in Finance, contact the Head of Department, Professor Banita Bissoondoyal-Bheenick via banita.bissoondoyal-bheenick@rmit.edu.au.