Author Archives: ppasquar

About ppasquar

Full Professor of Finance at the Ross School of Business, and long-term Napoli fan.

Euros….or the Euros?

Posted on June 15, 2012 by ppasquar

During this season of (increasing) discontent, you may see any European you know constantly checking his or her mobile device for two crucial pieces of information: the “spread” and the “score.” It is maybe the most visible sign of these troubled times that both … Continue reading →

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No more cathedrals in the (Italian) desert

Posted on February 14, 2012 by ppasquar

Amid the latest (irrelevant) round of downgrades by Moodys (see my previous post) and the excitement (or lack thereof) for the Republican primary season, a little piece of news seems to have gone unnoticed in the U.S. media, yet it … Continue reading →

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Rating the raters

Posted on January 19, 2012 by ppasquar

Rating agencies have been playing a significant role in the endless loop that the EU sovereign debt crisis has become. It is recent news that S&P downgraded several EU member countries, by one to two notches, setting off a storm … Continue reading →

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This time is (not) different

Posted on December 14, 2011 by ppasquar

Here we are at it again. Heads of state of EU countries meet. Drafts of big, ambitious programs of reform are circulated and voted upon. Significant proclamations are given to the media. Markets are tamed for a few days. Markets … Continue reading →

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Should we doubt the wisdom of financial markets?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by ppasquar

These days Italy and several other European countries are embarking upon very ambitious programs of reforming both their domestic economies as well as the way they interact with each other within the Euro area. Many of these reforms are desirable … Continue reading →

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