Do economic and financial firm's situation affect the quality if financial reports?

We investigate whether firms’ economic and financial situation influence the Quality of their Financial Reports (FRQ). FRQ is fundamental for investors and it affects the international capital movements [Bradshaw et al. (2004)] and Gelos and Wei (2005)]. Following Schipper and Vicent (2003) we use two issues to access earnings quality: abnormal accruals and earnings persistence. For seventeen European countries, we find evidence that the economic performance affects FRQ. Big firms and those with high current earnings exhibit better financial information. These results are robust since they don’t depend on FRQ proxy and we have the same evidence when we estimate regression with economical and financial factors separately or together. About financial situation, it seems not to affect FRQ. However, in high leveraged firms, the capital structure becomes determinant.

The effect of financial reports’ auality on Ffrm’s rerformance

We analyse whether the quality of firms’ Financial Reports (FRQ) produces any effect on their performance. Bradshaw et al. (2004) and Gelos and Wei (2005) call attention to the fact that the international capital movements is affected by FRQ. Following Schipper and Vicent (2003) we use the abnormal accruals to access earnings quality. For seventeen European countries, we found evidence that FRQ produces a positive impact on firm’s performance. This finding indicates that mangers are not opportunists and tends to make decisions to defend the firm’s best interests. This result is robust since it does not depend on the accounting firms’ performance proxy (ROA/ROE). In addition, it is also consistent when we use data in time series and in cross-sectional and when we estimate regression with lagged or the current year information about abnormal accruals.

Porto: cidade amiga da pessoa idosa, um estudo centrado na visão de prestadores de serviços a pessoas idosas

Este estudo tem por base um projecto desenvolvido pela Organização Mundial de Saúde, denominado Cidade Amiga das Pessoas Idosas. Este surgiu da necessidade em proporcionar ferramentas que promovam uma orientação de esforços e políticas no sentido de criar condições que promovam um envelhecimento activo, através da promoção da saúde, segurança e participação em actividades significativas, adaptando para isso serviços e estruturas de modo a que sejam acessíveis e inclusos, adequados às diversas capacidades e necessidades das pessoas idosas. É um estudo de natureza qualitativa e de carácter exploratório, que pretende verificar se a cidade do Porto possui características amigas das pessoas idosas na perspectiva de prestadores de serviços a pessoas idosas residentes nas Freguesias de Aldoar, Foz do Douro, Massarelos, Nevogilde, Lordelo do Ouro e Ramalde. Para tal foram realizados 3 focus groups com 21 participantes no total, resultantes de uma amostragem por conveniência. De entre oito categorias definidas a priori, os espaços exteriores e edifícios, respeito e inclusão social, transportes e apoio da comunidade e serviços de saúde, foram as que tiveram um maior enfoque de características negativas, sobressaindo as dificuldades financeiras como uma barreira à participação, o aumento de casos de solidão e o insuficiente apoio domiciliário. Já a participação social destacou-se pelas várias características amigas mencionadas, salientando-se a grande oferta de actividades e adequação das mesmas às características e motivações das pessoas idosas.

Auction of financial transmission rights in electricity market environment

An auction model is used to increase the individual profits for market players with products they do not use. A Financial Transmission Rights Auction has the goal of trade transmission rights between Bidders and helps them raise their own profits. The ISO plays a major rule on keep the system in technical limits without interfere on the auctions offers. In some auction models the ISO decide want bids are implemented on the network, always with the objective maximize the individual profits for all bidders in the auction. This paper proposes a methodology for a Financial Transmission Rights Auction and an informatics application. The application receives offers from the purchase and sale side and considers bilateral contracts as Base Case. This goal is maximize the individual profits within the system in their technical limits. The paper includes a case study for the 30 bus IEEE test case.

Sustainability reporting and financial reporting: the relevance of an integrated reporting approach

In the business world, there are issues such as globalisation, environmental awareness, and the rising expectations of public opinion which have a specific role in what is required from companies as providers of information to the market. This chapter refers to the current state of corporate reporting (financial reporting and sustainability reporting) and demonstrates the need for evolution to a more integrated method of reporting which meets the stakeholders’ needs. This research offers a reflection on how this development can be achieved, which notes the ongoing efforts by international organisations in implementing the diffusion and adoption, as well as looking at the characteristics which are needed for this type of reporting. It also makes the link between an actual case of a company that is one of the world references in sustainable development and integrated reporting. Whether or not the integrated reporting is the natural evolution of the history of financial and sustainability reporting, it still cannot yet claim to be infallible. However, it may definitely be concluded that a new approach is necessary to meet the needs which are continuously developing for a network of stakeholders.

Power law analysis of financial index dynamics

Power law PL and fractional calculus are two faces of phenomena with long memory behavior. This paper applies PL description to analyze different periods of the business cycle. With such purpose the evolution of ten important stock market indices DAX, Dow Jones, NASDAQ, Nikkei, NYSE, S&P500, SSEC, HSI, TWII, and BSE over time is studied. An evolutionary algorithm is used for the fitting of the PL parameters. It is observed that the PL curve fitting constitutes a good tool for revealing the signal main characteristics leading to the emergence of the global financial dynamic evolution.

Relativistic time effects in financial dynamics

Financial time series have a complex dynamic nature. Many techniques were adopted having in mind standard paradigms of time flow. This paper explores an alternative route involving relativistic effects. It is observed that the measuring perspective influences the results and that we can have different time textures.

Complex dynamics of financial indices

This paper presents a novel method for the analysis of nonlinear financial and economic systems. The modeling approach integrates the classical concepts of state space representation and time series regression. The analytical and numerical scheme leads to a parameter space representation that constitutes a valid alternative to represent the dynamical behavior. The results reveal that business cycles can be clearly revealed, while the noise effects common in financial indices can elegantly be filtered out of the results.

Analysis of financial indices by means of the windowed Fourier transform

The goal of this study is to analyze the dynamical properties of financial data series from nineteen worldwide stock market indices (SMI) during the period 1995–2009. SMI reveal a complex behavior that can be explored since it is available a considerable volume of data. In this paper is applied the window Fourier transform and methods of fractional calculus. The results reveal classification patterns typical of fractional order systems.

Fractional dynamics in financial indexes

The goal of this study is the analysis of the dynamical properties of financial data series from 32 worldwide stock market indices during the period 2000–2009 at a daily time horizon. Stock market indices are examples of complex interacting systems for which a huge amount of data exists. The methods and algorithms that have been explored for the description of physical phenomena become an effective background in the analysis of economical data. In this perspective are applied the classical concepts of signal analysis, Fourier transform and methods of fractional calculus. The results reveal classification patterns typical of fractional dynamical systems.

Analysis of financial data series using fractional Fourier transform and multidimensional scaling

The goal of this study is the analysis of the dynamical properties of financial data series from worldwide stock market indexes during the period 2000–2009. We analyze, under a regional criterium, ten main indexes at a daily time horizon. The methods and algorithms that have been explored for the description of dynamical phenomena become an effective background in the analysis of economical data. We start by applying the classical concepts of signal analysis, fractional Fourier transform, and methods of fractional calculus. In a second phase we adopt the multidimensional scaling approach. Stock market indexes are examples of complex interacting systems for which a huge amount of data exists. Therefore, these indexes, viewed from a different perspectives, lead to new classification patterns.

Persistence characteristics in financial prices: evidence from the portuguese stock market returns

The objective of this article is to provide additional knowledge to the discussion of long-term memory, leaning over the behavior of the main Portuguese stock index. The first four moments are calculated using time windows of increasing size and sliding time windows of fixed size equal to 50 days and suggest that daily returns are non-ergodic and non-stationary. Seeming that the series is best described by a fractional Brownian motion approach, we use the rescaled-range analysis (R/S) and the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The findings indicate evidence of long term memory in the form of persistence. This evidence of fractal structure suggests that the market is subject to greater predictability and contradicts the efficient market hypothesis in its weak form. This raises issues regarding theoretical modeling of asset pricing. In addition, we carried out a more localized (in time) study to identify the evolution of the degree of long-term dependency over time using windows 200-days and 400-days. The results show a switching feature in the index, from persistent to anti-persistent, quite evident from 2010.

Long-term dependence in financial prices: evidence from the Belgian stock market returns

This article aims to contribute to the discussion of long-term dependence, focusing on the behavior of the main Belgian stock index. Non-parametric analyzes of the general characteristics of temporal frequency show that daily returns are non-ergodic and non-stationary. Therefore, we use the rescaled-range analysis (R/S) and the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), under the fractional Brownian motion approach, and we found slight evidence of long-term dependence. These results refute the random walk hypothesis with i.i.d. increments, which is the basis of the EMH in its weak form, and call into question some theoretical modeling of asset pricing. Other more localized complementary study, to identify the evolution of the degree of dependence over time windows, showed that the index has become less persistent from 2010. This may mean a maturing market by the extension of the effects of current financial crisis.

Long-term memory in financial prices: evidence from the Dutch stock market returns

Prepared for presentation at the Portuguese Finance Network International Conference 2014, Vilamoura, Portugal, June 18-20

O empreendedorismo social como promotor da integração socioprofissional: um estudo exploratório

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionalização, sob orientação de Dra. Susana Bernardino e Professor Doutor José Freitas Santos