Finance
The Colorado River Is Overdrawn, and a Corporate Reckoning Is Imminent
For decades, the Colorado River has delivered less water than allocated, with shrinking reservoirs making up the difference. Yale SOM’s Todd Cort argues that companies across the West have yet to account for this imbalance.
Do Search Fund CEOs Improve Performance?
An analysis by search fund expert A.J. Wasserstein and accounting scholar Jacob Thomas finds that most gains come from selling companies at higher prices relative to their earnings, not from improving margins or efficiency.
This Google Doc Helps Determine How Much to Invest in Stocks
Economists say standard investment strategies aren’t aggressive enough, but their complex allocation models aren’t practical for individual investors. A new paper co-authored by Yale SOM’s James Choi offers a simpler alternative.
Do Treasury and the Fed Need a Relationship Reset?
On March 18, Prof. William English testified to a House task force considering a “new accord” between the Fed and Treasury, arguing that such an update is unnecessary and emphasizing the importance of Fed independence.
Will Banning Corporate Homebuyers Make Housing More Affordable?
The Trump administration has moved to restrict institutional investors’ home purchases and proposed allowing buyers to draw on retirement savings for down payments. We asked Professor Cameron LaPoint, who studies housing finance, whether these policies are likely to make housing more affordable—or to push prices higher.
The Corporation Is Centuries Older than We Thought
The genesis of the joint-stock company is usually traced to the founding of the English East India Company and the Dutch East India Company around 1600. New research co-authored by Prof. William Goetzmann says this origin story may be off by centuries.
How Trump Is Making the Fed’s Job Harder
Prof. William English, a former Fed official, says that the Federal Reserve’s mission of balancing inflation and employment has been complicated by a series of wild cards delivered by the administration, including tariffs and an attempt to fire a member of the Board of Governors.
DOGE’s Lease Cancellations Are Already Hitting the Commercial Real Estate Market
A study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Cameron LaPoint shows that the cancellations drove up the cost of commercial mortgage-backed securities as investors priced in more risk, and could reverberate through the broader economy.
Beauty, Power, Art, and Finance
Art, money, and power twist together in complex ways, in a dynamic that may be older than humans. In his research, Yale SOM’s William Goetzmann traces the social meaning of art and money and the ways they set pecking orders, create art superstars, and blow up into senseless bubbles.
Can AI Replace Human Debt Collectors?
New research co-authored by Yale SOM Professor James Choi finds that people are less likely to follow through on a commitment to repay a debt if it’s made to an AI agent. The finding hints at one area where humans may always retain an advantage over bots.
Who Will Finance the AI Revolution?
Deployment of AI is accelerating exponentially, and the nascent industry requires unprecedented investment to grow. We spoke to two Yale College alums and leaders at Goldman Sachs about where the capital to support an AI transition is coming from.
