Research Seminar

The Irish Academy of Finance (IAF) was established in 2018 as a formal network, primarily of Irish researchers but also international (especially those who have an Irish interest), who aim at promoting the field of Finance in Ireland and to contribute to the development and application of finance in Ireland. The IAF is an internationally focused professional association for research and education on the discipline of Finance. It promotes the advancement of research, knowledge, and education in the field of Finance with a particular focus on engaging academic and professional communities. It aims to enhance collaborations between researchers in Finance from many universities and other institutions in Ireland and abroad.

RESEARCH SEMINAR

 

“CEO Political Contributions and Personal SEC Enforcement”

 

Date and Time: Thursday 18^th November, 2pm.

Venue: UCD Smurfit Business School, Room N303

 

Speaker: James P Naughton, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia

 

Abstract: We find that CEOs that engage in the political system through personal contributions reduce the likelihood that they are personally prosecuted by the SEC. Our analyses show that CEOs of firms with financial reporting violations almost double their personal campaign contributions during violation years, and that these increased contributions are directed towards candidates rather than parties, consistent with influence acquisition. We provide evidence on causality using SOX, which increased expected personal enforcement costs for CEOs. Lastly, we document that the percent increase in CEO’s personal contributions is negatively associated with the likelihood that the CEO is personally named in SEC enforcement proceedings, suggesting that politically active CEOs are successful at reducing personal enforcement costs. Our findings suggest that concerns about regulatory capture also apply to individual political contributions.

 

This is a free event for all IAF members. If you are not an IAF member please contact iaf@ucd.ie to attend. 

 

 

 

VIRTUAL RESEARCH SEMINAR

 

“Emerging Risk”

 

The Irish Academy of Finance is delighted to announce a joint virtual research seminar by Wei XU and Niall O’Donnell on 9 June 2021, 12:00 to 14:00.

 

Date: 9 June 2021 from 12:00 to 14:00

 

To Register click here.

 

Papers:

Mobile Internet, Search Cost and Insurance Inclusion. Wei XU, Fudan University and University of Limerick

 

Immune or at-risk? Stock markets and the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic, Niall O’Donnell, Susquehanna and University of Limerick

 

Seminar format:

Presenters have 30 minutes plus an additional 10 minutes for Q&A. Attendees can ask questions (“raise hand” feature), but to give the presenter a chance to pitch the paper no questions should be asked for the first 15 minutes. Note that additional time will be provided for Q&A at the end of the presentations.

 

Biographies:

Wei Xu is a current PhD student studying at the Kemmy Business School of University of Limerick. He received his Master’s Degree in Insurance from Fudan University, China. His research interests include cyber risk, InsurTech and insurance economics. His recent work focused on the application and influencing mechanisms of emerging information technologies in insurance. He is also currently a researcher at the China InsurTech Laboratory of Fudan University.

 

Niall O’Donnell is a current PhD researcher and Masters of Computational Finance graduate at the University of Limerick. His research is focused on behavioural finance, financial markets, and their reaction to crisis-like events, so far focusing on the initial impact of COVID-19 on international equity indices. This has been published in the Journal of Experimental and Behavioural Finance. Alongside this, Niall also works for Susquehanna International Group (SIG), a global quantitative trading firm in Dublin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020 VIRTUAL RESEARCH SEMINAR

 

 

“Financial Applications of Machine Learning and Data Science”

 

Date and venue: December 4^th, 2020, 2pm to 3.30pm

Registration: Event is finished – however in case you missed it you can watch the IAF Virtual Seminar below.

 

Recording: A Recording of the Virtual Seminar is available here

 

The Irish Academy of Finance is delighted to announce a joint virtual research seminar by Professor Michael Dowling and Assistant Professor Richard McGee on December 4^th, 2020, between 2-3.30pm. The seminar will focus on two papers that examine applications of machine learning and data science in asset pricing and risk perception. There is no fee for this Seminar. Please complete the Registration form using the link above.

 

Papers:

Michael Dowling: COVID-19 and the social amplification of risk: Do infodemics impact global risk focus?

Richard McGee: Optimal Characteristic Portfolios

 

 

Seminar format

Presenters have 30 minutes plus an additional 10 minutes for Q&A. Attendees can ask questions (“raise hand” feature), but to give the presenter a chance to pitch the paper no questions should be asked for the first 15 minutes. Note that additional time will be provided for Q&A at the end of the presentations.

 

Biographies

  Michael Dowling is Full Professor of Finance at DCU Business School. He has previously worked at Rennes School of Business, the University of Essex, and Trinity College Dublin. He holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin on the topic of investor psychology, and a Masters in Banking and Finance from Stirling University. His research concentrates on aspects of financial technology, understanding financial behaviour, and applying data science techniques to finance. This has been published in leading international journals including: Research Policy; Journal of World Business; Energy Economics; Energy Journal; and the Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money. owling l Professor of Finance at DCU Business School. He has previously worked at Rennes School of Business, the University of Essex, and Trinity

 

  Richard McGee is Assistant Professor of FinTech in the UCD School of Business. His main research interests are in empirical asset pricing, financial data science, cryptocurrencies and applications of machine learning in finance. His work has been published in the Journal of Banking & Finance, European Journal of Operational Research, Economics letters and International Review of Financial Analysis among others and has been presented at a number of international finance conferences such as the Mid-West Finance Association and European Financial Management Association conferences.