Value-at-risk (VAR)

VAR: ready to explode?

The SEC plans to force US securities firms to tighten up their value-at-risk reporting. Its decision comes as VAR at the world’s leading financial services firms soared an average 25.8% last year. Who are the biggest risk-takers, and are risk managers…

Building scenarios

Kenji Fujii of UFJ Holdings looks at the benefits of using scenario analysis as a means of managing operational risk, and discusses UFJ Bank's scenario-based advanced measurement approach.

Sponsor's article > Credit risk catches up

When Basel II was first proposed in 1999, credit risk models lagged way behind market risk models. But that's changed, which means we need less prescriptive rules for determining credit risk capital.

Understanding the expected loss debate

The final draft of the new global Accord on bank regulatory capital – Basel II – has been delayed. A critical and unresolved issue is whether banks should include expected losses in their measure of credit risk. The IMF's Paul Kupiec reports on efforts…

Countdown to Basel II

With Basel II set for implementation in three years' time, some banks in the Asia Pacific region are working hard to align their operational risk systems with the requirements outlined in the new Accord.

Using the grouped t-copula

Student-t copula models are popular, but can be over-simplistic when used to describe credit portfolios where the risk factors are numerous or dissimilar. Here, Stéphane Daul, Enrico De Giorgi, Filip Lindskog and Alexander McNeil construct a new,…

Getting it together

Data consolidation is now a vital foundation to any successful risk management implementation, as Dave Rose and Stuart Cook of The Structure Group report

VAR: history or simulation?

Greg Lambadiaris, Louiza Papadopoulou, George Skiadopoulos and Yiannis Zoulis assess the performance of historical and Monte Carlo simulation in calculating VAR, using data from the Greek stock and bond market. They find that while historical simulation…

Correlation stress testing for value-at-risk

The correlation matrix is of vital importance for value-at-risk (VAR) modelsin the financial industry. Risk managers are often interested in stressing a subsetof market factors within large-scale risk systems containing hundreds ofmarket variables…

VAR: history or simulation?

Greg Lambadiaris, Louiza Papadopoulou, George Skiadopoulos and Yiannis Zoulis assess theperformance of historical and Monte Carlo simulation in calculating VAR, using data from theGreek stock and bond market. They find that while historical simulation…

A true test for value-at-risk

The three classic approaches for measuring portfolio value-at-risk do not compare like with like, argues Richard Sage. Here he presents a test portfolio to highlight the differences between calculation methods

How to run a market

Former-derivatives-trader-turned-author Frank Partnoy wants to see tougher accounting standards and risk disclosures to deter corporate crooks. But are the regulators listening? Maria Kielmas reports

How to spot a VaR cheat

Traders can use weaknesses in VaR measurement to make it appear that they are not taking any risks. Brett Humphreys exposes how easily this can be done