Title: International Finance
1International Finance
2The Good of International Investing
- We just saw, International stocks can lower
portfolio risk because of there low correlation
with other markets - This creates a positive shift in the Risk-Return
trade off, which is good. - However.
3Country Risk may not be captured by traditional
risk measures (such as covariance)
- High Transactions Costs and Illiquidity
- Lengthy Settlement (or complete lack of)
- Lack of transparency and information disclosure
- Corruption
- Capital Controls
- Ownership Restrictions
- Cultural differences
- Political Risk
4Recall How do we asses a stocks risk?
- One option is to use classic finance tools
- For example Mean/Variance Analysis
- However, there are many important cross-country
differences that matter - Country Risk
- Lets look at one risk that may not be captured by
traditional risk measures, Information Risk
5Information Production is not an accident
- Accounting firms are perhaps the most fundamental
and important institutions of information in
financial markets - Why do they work so well in the US?
- US Disclosure Laws Securities Act of 1933,
Reporting Act of 1934 - Mandate quarterly and annual filings of all
public firms - The rules are well-understood standards (GAAP)
that are audited and certified - The rules are enforced with rigor by the US
government (SEC)
6Information Production is not an accident
- Information production is results from a
deliberate effort to establish - Laws
- Institutions
- In the US, we take this for granted. However, in
many countries the view is that the secrecy of
corporate information is more important than the
dissemination of information to the investor.
7International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- In Russia, one study reported that there are no
regulations (including company law) that specify
disclosure requirements in detail. Out of 5,000
enterprises privatized, about 100 publish
financial statements. Their balance sheets,
however, consist of three lines on the assets and
two lines on the liabilities, without footnotes,
which is just nonsense
8International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- A 1998 study by the United Nations reviewed the
accounting practices in Korea, Thailand,
Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines and
found - Only 1/3 of the firms disclosed related-party
borrowing and lending - Only 19 disclosed FX gains/losses under IAS
- Over 80 did not disclose gains/losses of
derivatives or even their terms - They concluded that poor accounting helped to
magnify the size of the Asian crisis
9International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- Alphatec, once Thailands preeminent high-tech
firm, came crashing down in 1997 because of - ..the mingling of funds among listed and closely
held companies run by the same family, the use of
multiple sets of accounting books and misleading
accounting methods, the highly paid, rubber stamp
board,- these mirror the problems at other Thai
companies that have brought this countrys
economy to the brink of collapse - Wall Street Journal, Sept 8, 1997
10International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- Because of the lack of disclosure laws and sound
accounting standards, reported information can be
misleading or just plain wrong - Even in countries that have well developed
accounting systems, they may favor the firm over
the investor - An example DaimlerChrysler
-
11International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- WSJ, Setember 10, 1998
- In Mexico, information is power.Just try to get
your hands on any, from the mundane to the
profound. Everything from the number of
billboards in Mexico City to the details of the
past presidential lives is closely guarded by
government and business. What happened during the
post 1994 bail out? Finance ministry officials
say they are reluctant to give out sensitive
information to Congress, citing the countrys
bank secrecy laws, which, uniquely, protect not
just data on deposits, but also on loans -
12International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- Lawmakers suspect the Ministry is trying to
protect hundreds of well-connect businessman
whose bum debts end up being bought by Mexicos
deposit insurance fund which will, in the end, be
borne by taxpayers -
- Another example When an event is not an event?
13International Accounting Practices An Investors
Nightmare?
- Overall, there are notable international
differences in financial disclosure requirements - This impacts the quality and quantity of
information available for investors - Can lead to front-running or inside dealing
You may get ripped off - Who gets hurt the most?
14Transactions Costs
- That is, How much does it cost to buy and sell
securities. What do think are T.C.s components? - Direct costs Commissions, Fees, Taxes etc.
- These get recorded in financial statements
- Indirect Market Impact
- These do not
-
15In the U.S., these are relatively low, what about
globally?
- Why is this important know?
- T.C. can wipe out trading profits, so ignoring
them lead to incorrect asset allocation
strategies. - Price impact in emerging markets, a.k.a. hot
money, can destabilize markets. - Large costs in foreign markets can lead firms to
list their stock in the U.S., further hindering
domestic market development
16Until very recently, we didnt have any answers.
- This is because it has been almost impossible to
gather data from around the world that is
comparable in all the dimensions of T.C. - Luckily, some famous finance professors recently
quit the ivory tower and gave us some answers - Domowitz, Glen, and Madhavan
17Liquidity, Volatility, and Equity Trading Costs
Across Countries and Across Time
- Data from Elkins/McSherry Co., a firm that
conducts cost studies for institutional traders
and serves as a consultant to stock exchanges - Elkins/McSherry Co. receives trade data on all
global trades by institutional traders and
computes measures of trading costs. - For example, in 1998, the institutional traders
in the data represented 135 firms, of whom 105
are pension funds, 27 are investment managers,
and 4 are brokers. - These institutions accounted for 28 billion
shares in 632,547 trades, using 700 global
managers and 1,000 brokers - Data runs from 1996-1998
- Lets see what they find.
18Findings
- Enormous variation in one-way equity trading
costs across countries, ranging from a high of
198 bp in Korea to a low of 30 bp in France - Total T.C. in Emerging Markets are 95 larger
relative to developed markets, with much of this
difference coming from implicit T.C. - Considerable consistency in cost rankings from
year to year - There is variation in the composition of costs
across countries, but both implicit and explicit
costs are economically substantial in all cases
19Findings
- Very important to returns The equally-weighted
portfolio of all countries has one-way trading
costs of 71.3 bp. - If this portfolio is turned over every six
months, annual costs of 2X2X71.3285bp are
incurred. - By contrast, the average annual portfolio return
(pre-cost) is 4X3071228. - Trading costs constitute 23 percent of raw
returns in this scenario. - Important stuff
20Settlement
- After you place your order, when do you get the
stock or get the - Related How long does it take to collect your
dividend - Many markets (Malaysia, Venezuela) have highly
inefficient settlement (sometime use paper to
record transactions) - When volume swells, it overloads the system
21GSCS Settlement Benchmarks
22Corruption
- Illegitimate payments and favors outside the rule
of law - Corruption occurs to some extent in all
countries, large differences across countries
exist - And states, remember Im from Louisiana
23Measuring Corruption
- "There is no end in sight to the misuse of power
by those in public office - and corruption levels
are perceived to be as high as ever in both the
developed and developing worlds," said Peter
Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International,
speaking today on the launch of the Corruption
Perceptions Index. - Lets take a look at the latest index from
Transparency International
24Lets look at the latest index
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26Corruption in the Developed World
- "Corruption in the most prosperous countries in
the world has many manifestations, and
Transparency International is increasing its
efforts to stimulate actions to secure greater
transparency in politics, business and banking.
We aim to publish a new Bribe Payers Index in
early 2002 to shine the spotlight on the
propensity of western firms to use bribes in
emerging market economies."
27Transparency International Bribe Payers Index
2002 The Supply Side
- 835 business experts in 15 leading emerging
market countries were asked In the business
sectors with which you are most familiar, please
indicate how likely companies from the following
countries are to pay or offer bribes to win or
retain business in this country? - A perfect score, indicating zero perceived
propensity to pay bribes, is 10.0, and thus the
ranking below starts with companies from
countries that are seen to have a low propensity
for foreign bribe paying.
28Transparency International Bribe Payers Index
2002
19
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30Transparency International Bribe Payers Index 2002
- "The BPI results signal the rejection by
multinational firms of the spirit of
international anti-bribery conventions, while
their actions lead to a huge misallocation of
very scarce resources in developing countries,"
said TI Advisory Council Chairman Kamal Hossain
at a press conference in Hong Kong. - "The data also points to very heavy bribe-paying
by domestic firms in developing countries.
Today's BPI underscores the fact that we have a
global problem of corporate bribe-paying that
demands concerted global actions by official
international organizations, civil society
organizations and national governments," he said.
31Bribery in business sectors
- How likely is it that senior public officials in
this country would demand or accept bribes, e.g.
for public tenders, regulations, licensing in the
following business sectors? - The scores are mean averages from all the
responses on a 0 to 10 basis where 0 represents
very high perceived levels of corruption, and 10
represents extremely low perceived levels of
corruption.
32Bribery in business sectors
33Bribery in business sectors
- "The BPI shows that the most flagrant corruption
is seen in the public works/construction and arms
and defense sectors, which are plagued by endemic
bribery by foreign firms. In a new study by the
UK chapter of TI, it is estimated, for example,
that foreign bribery is associated with tens of
billions of dollars of defense deals," said Kamal
Hossain. - While even agriculture, the sector considered
least likely to involve bribery by foreign
companies, scored only 6.9 against a clean score
of 10, public works/construction was deemed
highly corrupt, with a score of 1.3, followed by
arms and defense with 1.9, and the oil and gas
sector with a score of 2.7.
34Transparency International Bribe Payers Index
2002, Review
- Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese and S. Korean
companies widely seen using bribes in developing
countries - High propensity to bribe overseas also seen for
companies from Italy, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United
States, Japan, France and Spain - Construction and arms industries top sectors of
heaviest bribery
35Are these Costs Large? The Cost of doing
Business Under the Table
- World Bank Survey of over 3000 East European
firms ten year after the collapse of communism - Also surveyed entrepreneurs and businesspeople in
20 countries to estimate the bribe tax in each
country, payment directly to government officials
36The Cost of doing business Under the Table
Source Survey by the World Bank
37Findings
- Firms in Eastern Europe pay bribes that amount to
as much as 8 of total revenues! - This is in addition to the already high
official tax - The average bribe in the former Soviet Union is
almost twice the size of firms in central and
eastern Europe
38Findings
- Transition success countries like Poland and
Hungary also bribe a lot! - Small companies bribe more often than large
companies - Overall, bribes can hurt economic growth by
misallocation of resources
39What about Capital Controls ?
- Various foreign exchange controls are often
imposed, especially in EM.
40Ownership Restrictions Example China
- Chinas Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor
(QFII) program allows selected global managers to
invest in yuan-denominated securities, including
Class A stocks - First Investment July 2003, by UBS
- Total QFII Quota USD 4 billion, but just
announced (7/2005) to expand to 10billion. (hot
flows a good think for market given recent
performance?) - Number of applicants 26
- Largest Quota Holder UBS (800 Mill), Smallest
Several with 50mil each - China Stock Market Capitalization 450Billion at
end of 2004
41Capital Controls cont.
- Different class of shares and their pricing
shares for foreign investors may sell at a
discount or premium to domestic shares. (E.G., A
B shares in China, Alien board in Thailand) - Other historical Examples FIIs in India,
Industry restrictions (banking, defense),
ownership restrictions in Korea, Brazil - Repatriation restrictions (see CGSC China report)
- Differential Taxation Rates
42One Stock, Two Prices? Infosys Techhologies
43One Stock, Two Prices Infosys
- Infosys Technologies
- Is traded on both Nasdaq as well as Indian
domestic stock (BSE) market, often much different
prices - What could explain this? Think about the law of
one price - What are the restrictions that could matter?
44Ownership Restrictions in India for Infosys
- Non-Indian investors can own DRs or the domestic
shares, but government has restricted the of
foreing ownership. These vary from industry to
industry. - For IT companies, since 2001 the limited was
100, but no single foreign investor can hold
more than 10. In July 2002, Infosys shareholders
passed a resolution allowing 100 foreign
ownership - Infosys is a limited Depositary Receipt
program Investors can convert existing shares
into DR only if some DRs from the initial
issuance have been converted back into domestic
shares. - Lets see how many are converted back
45First, a unrestricted two way DR program
46Infosys
47Infosys cont
48So, limits to arbitrage can allow a premium. But
WHY would investors pay a premium?
- Lower cost of capital for DR investors?
- Recall that foreign investors can purchase the
domestic shares - Taxes?
- If foreign (US) investors pay higher taxes on
dividends and capital gains when buying domestic
shares, then they may be willing to pay a premium - US investors who trade in Indian domestic stocks
do not pay taxes on dividends, but pay a 30
short-term capital gains tax on stocks held less
than one year, and a 10 long-term capital gains
tax, that can be used as a foreign tax credit to
offset US taxes. - -therefore, taxes dont seem to be it
-
49So, limits to arbitrage can allow a premium. But
WHY would investors pay a premium?
- Lower transactions costs?
- Indian government requires that foreign
institutional investors who want to invest in
domestic shares register with the Securities and
exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Reserve
Bank of India, as well as provide detail
background information (and pay a 10,000 fee). - What kind of investors do you think will be
harmed?
50 Average share ownership of DR holders and
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) over time
51Downward sloping demand curves?
- Since the supply of DRs is limited, investors
with the highest reservation price will set the
price. - Since riskless arbitrage is not possible, the
domestic and DR price may be priced
independently. - Lets look some major corporate events and track
the two prices
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53Other evidence the prices are set differently
- The variation in the Infosys DR is better
explained by variation in the NASDAQ composite
index (R-sqared is 0.55) than by variation in the
Indian stock market index (r-squared is 0.35) - On the other hand, the variation in the infosys
domestic returns is better explained by the
variation in the Indian stock market (R-squared
is 0.47) than the variation in the NASDAQ
composite (R-squared is 0.37)
54Can firms benefit from the premium?
55Infosys is a cash rich firm
56So, what would you do?
- In a tender offer, Infosys invited domestic
shareholders to tender their domestic shares for
conversion to DRs. The allotment for conversion
was done on a proportionate basis, so more shares
were tendered by large shareholders. - Not surprising, the first tender offer was
oversubscribed. - 10, 164 domestic sharholders tendered 14.86
million shares for conversion into DRs. Infosys
only accepted three million - The founders, directors and executives of infosys
accounted for over 30 of the shares, and
shareholders with over 1 ownership accounted for
over 60
57One Stock, Two Prices
58Political Risk
- Violent political conflict (i.e., civil war,
terrorism, racial and ethnic discord, coup
d'etat, and systemic collapse) can have profound
negative effects on foreign direct and indirect
investment. - The business environment is also influenced by
elections, government corruption, labor disputes,
institutional reform, and shifts in public
policy.
59This is the last bond issued by the Russian
Czarist Government in 1917 before the Soviet
Revolution
How about a safe international Government Bond?
60Measuring Political Risk
- Political risk measurements can be used in
project financing. (discount rates) - Measuring political risks is still an art rather
than a science.
61Political Risk Measures
- Institutional Investors Country Credit Ratings
- Institutional Investor survey of Bankers
- Published semiannually since 1979
- Survey of 75-100 bankers on country risk
- Since survey based, can be forward looking
- Lets take a look at a sample
62Political Risk Measures
Institutional Investors Country Credit Ratings
63Other Political Risk Measures
- Other Country Credit Risk Measures
- Political Risk Services International Country
Risk Guide - Explore risk surrogates
- Political Risk,
- Economic Risk,
- Financial Risk and
- Country Credit Ratings
64Political Risk Measures
Political risk. International Country Risk Guide
65Political Risk Measures
Financial risk. International Country Risk Guide
66Political Risk Measures
Economic risk. International Country Risk Guide
67Political Risk Measures
International Country Risk Guide Risk Categories
68Political Risk Measures
Country Risk Ratings are correlated with
Sovereign bond ratings
69Political Risk Measures
Country Risk Ratings are correlated with
Sovereign bond ratings
70Political Risk Measures
Country Risk Ratings are correlated with
Sovereign bond ratings
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724. Country Risk Rating Model
Time-series of ratings
73So, barriers to capital flows exist
- High Transactions Costs
- Lengthy Settlement (or complete lack of)
- Lack of transparency and information disclosure
- Corruption
- Capital Controls
- Ownership Restrictions
- Cultural differences
- Political Risk
74What can we do?
- Invest in securities that overcome many of these
barriers - ADRs, Country Funds, WEBs,
- More on these soon
- Mitigate the remaining risks
- Buy insurance
- Structure deals accordingly
75Strategies for managing country risk
- Negotiate the investment environment with the
host country prior to investment - The investment environment
- The financial environment
- Structure foreign operations to minimize country
risk while maximizing expected return - Obtain political risk insurance
76Political risk insurance
- You trust your foreign customer. Do you trust
your foreign customers Government? - Countries dont go bankrupt, do they?
77Political risk insurance
- Insurable political risks include
- ConfiscationPolitical ViolenceWarAbrogationCha
nge of LawDeprivationEmbargo Currency
InconvertibilityForced AbandonmentForced
DivestitureFailure to RepossessArbitration
Award DefaultLicense CancellationSelective
Discrimination
78Political risk insurance
- Political risk insurers
- International
- World Banks Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency - Government export credit agencies
- United States - Overseas Private Investment
Corporation - United Kingdom - Export Credits Guarantee
Department - Private
- American International Group
- Lloyds of London
79Political risk and thestructure of foreign
operations
- Structure foreign operations to minimize country
risk while maximizing expected return - Limit the scope of technology transfer to foreign
affiliates to include only non-essential parts of
the production process - Limit dependence on any single partner
- Enlist local partners
- Use more stringent investment criteria
- Plan for disaster recovery
80What does finance theory tell us about Country
Risk? Country risks and the MNCs cost of capital
- From shareholders perspective, only
nondiversifiable country risks should affect the
cost of capital - Whether a particular country risk is
diversifiable depends on whether investors are
locally or globally diversified - From managers perspective, country risks are
often not diversifiable - This creates an agency conflict as managers
represent shareholders
81The evidence onCountry risks and required returns
- Erb, Harvey, and Viskanta found that country risk
measures - particularly financial risk measures -
are correlated with future equity returns and
risks - A decrease (increase) in country risk tends to be
followed by a rise (fall) in equity returns in
that country. - Countries with high country risk tend to have
more volatile returns than countries with low
country risk. - Countries with high country risk tend to have
lower betas (systematic risks) than countries
with low country risk. -
82Where are we now?
- We have seen the benefits to international
investing in terms of mean-variance analysis - We have investigated the various risks in
international capital markets - Now, we try to integrate these ideas into a
framework to understand how they affect
investors, security prices, and capital market
development - Law and Finance
- But lets do a case first to illustrate the issues