In this paper we study both the level of Value-at-Risk (VaR) disclosure and the accuracy of the disclosed VaR figures for a sample of US and international commercial banks. To measure the level of VaR disclosures, we develop a VaR Disclosure Index that captures many different facets of market risk disclosure. Using panel data over the period 1996–2005, we find an overall upward trend in the qua...

2 VAR models 4 2.1 Analytical results for VAR models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.1.1 The Diffuse Prior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.2 The Natural Conjugate Prior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.1.3 The Minnesota Prior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.2 Estimation of VARs using the Gibbs sampler . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6...

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a major pathogenicity factor in falciparum malaria that mediates cytoadherence. PfEMP1 is encoded by approximately 60 var genes per haploid genome. Most var genes are grouped into 3 subgroups: A, B, and C. Evidence is emerging that the specific expression of these subgroups has clinical significance. Using field samples from child...

Value-at-Risk (VaR) is one of the most widely accepted risk measures in the financial and insurance industries, yet efficient optimization of VaR remains a very difficult problem. We propose a computationally tractable approximation method for minimizing the VaR of a portfolio based on robust optimization techniques. The method results in the optimization of a modified VaR measure, Asymmetry-Ro...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY The exploitation of Labisia pumila for commercial demand is gradually increasing. It is therefore important that conservation is prioritized to ensure sustainable utilization. We developed microsatellites for L. pumila var. alata and evaluated their polymorphism across var. alata, var. pumila, and var. lanceolata. • METHODS AND RESULTS Ten polymorphic micros...