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In late February 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened economic and market uncertainty led to a flight to quality as investors shifted their portfolios toward safe sovereign [...]

1. INTRODUCTION Securities transactions commonly involve a variety of market conventions--widely accepted ways of doing business that persist through time even though not mandated by law or regulation. Commonplace examples [...]

We look at the results of a recent survey of over 100 accountants from trainee to partner level to compare how they 'like to learn' new skills and behaviours with [...]

BACKGROUND: The limited space developed in totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (TEP) provides the ideal setting for direct instillation of local anesthetic. This study evaluates the efficacy of extraperitoneal bupivacaine analgesia in patients undergoing day-care TEP. METHODS: Fifty-six consecutive patients were randomized to intraoperative extraperitoneal instillation of bupivacaine (n = 29) or normal saline control (n = 27). Patients were blindly assessed on discharge from hospital, at 24 hours, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients treated with bupivacaine had lower median (range) visual analogue pain scores on discharge (1.5 [0 to 5.9] versus 3.7 [0.2 to 6.9], P = 0.03), and were more frequently pain free (54% versus 31%, P = 0.078). Although this difference had gone by 24 hours, the bupivacaine group continued to recover faster; stopping analgesia earlier (2 [0 to 7] days versus 3 [0 to 21] days, P = 0.01) and returning to full activity earlier (2.5 [1 to 14] days versus 5 [1 to 21] days, P = 0.013). Of bupivacaine patients 100% were completely satisfied with the procedure compared with 81% of controls (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Extraperitoneal bupivacaine minimizes pain following day-care TEP repair, facilitates recovery, and increases patient satisfaction. Benefits persist beyond the pharmacological action of bupivacaine. Am J Surg. 1998;176:254-257. [C] 1998 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.

Since the early 1980s, the financial derivatives markets have increasingly been used by market participants to unbundle and trade their exposures to foreign exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and [...]

Part 2 of this article explains how specific federal regulation of securities lending applies primarily to the activities of broker/dealers. It also includes a discussion of the pricing of securities loans and explains the three sources of uncertainty for the lender. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The lending of securities - U.S. government bonds, corporate bonds, equities, and international securities of all types - has grown dramatically in the past decade. According to a recent survey conducted by RMA's Securities Lending Committee, commercial banks in the U.S. act as agents and principals in transactions exceeding $100 billion everyday. In the early 1980s, the well-publicized failures of two securities firms, Drysdale and Lombard Wall, focused attention on the risks involved in lending securities. As the authors of this article point out, these failures extend beyond counterparty risk to include a range of operational, product, and market risk elements. The increasing globalization of the capital markets has forced participants to analyze the risks in operating in markets where settlement procedures, liquidity, and reporting may differ widely. In this two-part article (Part 2 will appear in the March issue), the authors explain the mechanics of securities lending and the risks borne by the various parties to securities lending transactions. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Frank Keane looks at some of the reasons for underperformance by individuals and suggests approaches managers can use to tackle them. ********** [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We all know that there are [...]

The success of Alex MacDonald's and Art Charpentier's National Resource Explorations is due to the financing methods utilized. The company invested money in general partnerships for oil exploration, not underwriting projects. Recently issued 'treasury shares'increased its assets base and shares from 3.7 to 5.4 million.