September 2011

An equilibrium approach for tactical asset allocation: Assessing Black-Litterman model to Indian stock market

  In practice, mean-variance optimization results in non-intuitive and extreme portfolio allocations, which are highly sensitive to variations in the inputs. Generally, efficient frontiers based on historical data lead to highly concentrated portfolios. The Black-Litterman approach overcomes, or at least mitigates, these problems to a large extent. The highlight of this approach is that it enables us to...

Author(s): Alok Kumar Mishra, Subramanyam Pisipati and Iti Vyas

September 2011

Determining optimum farm credit need of small scale farmers in Benue State

  This study determined an optimum farm credit for small scale farmers in Benue State. A set of structured questionnaires were administered on 180 respondents randomly selected from eighteen communities in the state. Linear programming was used to obtain an optimum farm credit for farmers engaged in four farm enterprises in the study area, namely, yam and cassava mix, maize and sorghum mix, yam and sorghum mix...

Author(s): G. A. Abu, I. U. Odoemenem and A. Ocholi

September 2011

Trends in perception of corruption in a developing democracy

  This paper aims to study individual observational data (education, media consumption, gender, age, region, urban or rural dwellers, personal well-being, social trust, political trust, and interest in politics) and their influences on perceptions of trends in corruption in Nigeria. Perceptions of trends in corruption or corruption worse under previous military regimes or under present democratic dispensation...

Author(s): Iroghama Paul Iroghama

September 2011

Does fiscal deficit determine the size of external debt in Nigeria?

This paper investigates the direction of causality as well as the impact of fiscal deficit on external debt in Nigeria. It goes further to determine whether structural shift actually exists in the pattern and direction of fiscal deficit and debt in the period under review. Econometric analysis such as unit root test, Granger causality test, ordinary least square (OLS) and the Chow break point test were performed on time...

Author(s): Michael S. Ogunmuyiwa