CITATIONS

Top Citations

New book explains how S’poreans make economic decisions

Despite surge pricing, especially when it is raining or during an MRT breakdown, Singaporeans feel like they have no choice but to accept the higher costs when using ride-hailing apps, research by three National University of Singapore (NUS) professors showed.

3 October 20205 min

New book explains how S’poreans make economic decisions

Mortgage rates at 50-year lows. Should you refinance? Maybe not

Mortgage rates have reached new lows, but many people refinance too early. To save the most money on lower mortgage rates, try this mortgage calculator.

12 August 20202 min

Mortgage rates at 50-year lows. Should you refinance? Maybe not

What’s the link between developers playing golf with each other and their bids for government land auctions? An NUS study has the answer

Researchers found that bosses at developer firms who played golf together tended to make lower winning bids for residential development land put up for auction by the Government than those who did not play golf.

15 January 20208 min

What’s the link between developers playing golf with each other and their bids for government land auctions? An NUS study has the answer

Inflation expectations shaped by rise of premium goods: study

HOUSEHOLDS tend to see inflation as higher than it really is - a misapprehension that may nonetheless affect how wages and prices are set.

31 October 20195 min

Inflation expectations shaped by rise of premium goods: study

Filters

CLEAR ALL

New book explains how S’poreans make economic decisions

Added October 3, 2020

Mortgage rates at 50-year lows. Should you refinance? Maybe not

Mortgage rates have reached new lows, but many people refinance too early. To save the most money on lower mortgage rates, try this mortgage calculator.

Added August 12, 2020

What’s the link between developers playing golf with each other and their bids for government land auctions? An NUS study has the answer

Added January 15, 2020

Inflation expectations shaped by rise of premium goods: study

HOUSEHOLDS tend to see inflation as higher than it really is - a misapprehension that may nonetheless affect how wages and prices are set.

Added October 31, 2019

S'pore parents' housing type could show how kids will fare

New research by the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that the type of housing owned by Singaporean parents can be a good predictor of the next generation's economic status.

Added October 18, 2019

Softbank invests $300 million in dog-walking start-up Wag

Softbank poured $300 million into dog walking startup Wag, and placed two of its investing partners on the board.

Added February 2, 2018

The admirable success of JDY

Beyond enabling account ownership and the use of financial services, the Jan Dhan Yojana has also facilitated financial inclusion for a variety of demographics

Added August 28, 2017

Why lottery winners make dangerous neighbors?

A 2016 study shows that the neighbors of lottery winners are significantly more likely to declare bankruptcy than others because they try to keep up with the Joneses.

Added August 18, 2017

What the Federal Interest Rate Hike Means for You

The interest rate hike affects everything from savings to mortgages. Here's how it breaks down for you.

Added April 15, 2017

NUS Indian Professor loves to do Research on Local Issues

For Sumit Agarwal, a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore Business School, the things around him always make him think deeply, even the trivialities of daily life, because these are the livelihood issues that he pays attention to and studies, and they are also the concepts deeply rooted in his heart since he was a child. In his own words, "I am a person who likes to solve problems."

Added January 9, 2017

Do rising mortgage rates mean it’s time to buy a home?

If you're considering buying a home because of rising mortgage rates, Consumer Reports shares what you need to know about inflation and other economic events that make it more expensive to borrow.

Added December 26, 2016

Firm Stand Against Greedy Bankers

If you can't beat them, well... you join someone who can. That was what Professor Sumit Agarwal did during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.

Added September 4, 2016

Why lottery winners may make their neighbors go broke

The neighbors build an addition, so we start mulling the second mortgage that could finance a similar sunroom, because suddenly the house feels too small. We want what they have — to keep up with the Joneses.

Added March 2, 2016

Lottery winners’ neighbors tend to spend themselves into bankruptcy

A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia examines the relationship between lottery winners in a particular Canadian province and bankruptcies in the same province

Added February 23, 2016

Living Near A Lottery Winner Has A Surprising Downside

This research, however, shows that really stark income or wealth inequality can have the opposite effect on households

Added February 16, 2016

Study what makes people tick to effect change, says NUS prof

When construction work begins in a particular area, residents living nearby use about 6 per cent more electricity, as they shut their windows and turn to air-conditioning to block out the noise and pollution. And increases in consumption persist, even after the construction work concludes.

Added March 20, 2015

DBS Chief Warns of Basel Fallout

As Asian countries roll out Basel III frameworks for their banks, the CEO of Singapore's biggest lender has warned that the more stringent bank capital rules for the region's already well-capitalised lenders may hurt economic growth in the region.

Added October 4, 2014

Card Act Cleaned up Credit Cards’ Hidden Costs

Economists found that the Card Act, passed in 2009, saved consumers billions of dollars by cutting through a tangle of credit card fees.

Added November 7, 2013

New study estimates the effect of predatory-lending law

We measure the effect of a 2006 antipredatory pilot program in Chicago on mortgage default rates to test whether predatory lending was a key element in fueling the subprime crisis.

Added October 29, 2013

The CARD Act has Saved Billions

Curbing interest rates for certain classes of popular credit products could save consumers money (cheap credit) or it could merely lead people to be unable to access credit

Added October 9, 2013

Did bankers create the crisis?

It is fashionable to blame bankers for the subprime mess. But the origins of the crisis lie elsewhere

Added December 23, 2012

CRA and the housing bubble

There's an interesting new paper out on the role of the Community Reinvestment Act and the housing bubble. The paper, called "Did the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Lead to Risky Lending?"

Added December 19, 2012

Did bank delays cause 800,000 foreclosures?

New research identifies the number of homeowners the federal HAMP program could have helped if banks had moved more efficiently.

Added September 17, 2012

Home modification program falls short

Study finds the Home Affordable Modification Program modified loans and prevented roughly 800K foreclosures but it could have helped far more

Added September 13, 2012

Foreclosure Fail: Study Pins Blame on Big Banks

A study by government and academic researchers finds that approximately 800,000 homeowners missed out on mortgage modifications because of big banks' poor performance.

Added September 11, 2012

Are State Regulators Too Lax?

A new study analyzing data from 15 years of state bank examinations delivers some explosive conclusions certain to add fuel to the already combustible relationship between federal and state regulators.

Added February 1, 2012

Protect your money from aging problem-solving skills

As we grow older, our ability to make sound financial decisions degrades, but if we prepare, we can maintain healthy finances well into old age.

Added June 1, 2011

If marriage makes you stupid, why get married?

Have you met Mr God Forbid? He was a familiar face in the workplace before insurance was thrown open to the private sector.

Added May 14, 2011

10 Ways You Get Smarter as You Get Older

Researchers have recently made some surprising discoveries about what's really happening in our heads as we age. Here, we present ten ways you get smarter as you go.

Added May 1, 2011

Why we can’t stop spending

Why are we spending our way toward oblivion? About this time of year, many of us have not yet forgotten our solemn vows to cease snarfing doughnuts and to visit the Stair master more often.

Added April 5, 2011

Indians Save, Americans Invest: Why Financial Literacy Should Accompany Inclusion

Research by Sumit Agarwal, senior financial economist in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and a visiting professor at the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB), shows that while Indians know more about saving, Americans know more about investing.

Added March 24, 2011

The reward for cash-reward credit cards: higher bills, more debt

In theory, cash-reward credit cards seem great: Card holders get 1%, and occasionally 5% back for purchases. The system seems like it provides automated discounts and instant savings. The problem is that the way the incentives work, consumers who spend more are “rewarded” with more cash back.

Added December 29, 2010

Older but not wiser? The psychology behind senior’s susceptibility to scams

New studies help explain why, despite having more experience, senior citizens often make unprofitable financial choices

Added November 18, 2010

Securitized mortgage loan or not, lenders are not restructuring

Finally put to rest the widespread belief that securitization massively exacerbated the foreclosure crisis by preventing lenders from renegotiating loans. The authors show that the data do not support the argument

Added October 20, 2010

Do financial decisions get better with age?

Read on to learn how aging can affect your ability to make financial decisions, some of the behavioral traits that older investors exhibit when making decisions, and some tips on how to avoid the possible financial pitfalls associated with aging.

Added September 9, 2010

Informing the future of Housing Finance: Lessons from the Recent Past

Discussed the public policy response, including the role of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as the housing market crisis has evolved.

Added August 24, 2010

Why personality matters

New economic research shows that investors' personalities matter more than previously thought.

Added August 10, 2010

Sad but true: Financial smarts depreciate as we age

Several recent studies reinforce that. Retirees need to act carefully and even seek help in selecting loans, credit cards and Medicare drug plans. That's not just to protect themselves from untoward children or salespeople; it's also to protect them from themselves.

Added November 21, 2009

The Peak Age of Financial Reason

When it comes to handling your money, do you get smarter every year? Do you get smarter for a while and then level off? Or do you get smarter for a while, hit your peak, and then get less smart every year after that?

Added November 20, 2009

Dementia poses threat to aging boomers’ portfolio

A startling number of older adults either lack the cognitive abilities to manage their finances or delegate that responsibility to others — a finding that could have implications for plan executives and other fiduciaries as a wave of wealthy Americans approach retirement.

Added September 13, 2009

Should we give financial advice to the poor?

Yale economist and bubble seer Robert Shiller thinks a number of financial mistakes made by millions of Americans could be avoided if personal financial advice was subsidized for all.

Added April 4, 2009

Southwest side had early solution to housing crisis

Simply put, the corporation identified high-risk home buyers and required counseling before they could sign a mortgage agreement.

Added January 10, 2009

Understimulated: Do Americans lie to pollsters about how they'll spend their stimulus rebate checks?

The Senate seems to have agreed on a deal for a stimulus package that would send more than $100 billion in cash

Added February 7, 2008

Consumer not likely to spend tax rebates

Congress is plowing ahead with a plan to stimulate consumer spending by issuing tax rebates, even though most Americans say they would save them or use them to pay off debt.

Added February 5, 2008

Clothes, food could get smaller slice of rebates

Economists see consumers paying down debt; card issuers could benefit

Added January 29, 2008

Will $800 help much?

Letting Americans keep more of their own money should increase consumer spending and lift our economy at a time when people otherwise might spend less

Added January 19, 2008

The Age of Reason? It’s 53

Largest number of bad decisions -- those that cost consumers money in the form of higher fees and interest rates -- clustered in the youngest and oldest age segments.

Added September 24, 2007

Why loan rates may be so high

Too many borrowers may be unfairly blaming credit scores for their higher-than-expected loan rates or extra credit-card fees.

Added September 17, 2007

Getting to the bottom of things

What the bottom looks like, seeing a check from a lender and other tidbits

Added June 29, 2007

Chicago Fed study sees subprime woes contained

Problems created by subprime mortgages delinquencies could stay concentrated in areas already under stress and not infect the broader economy, according to a Chicago Federal Reserve analysis

Added June 28, 2007

Pick ‘Reverse’ at a Deliberate Speed

Some thoughts on why maturity and deliberation make for better mortgage choices

Added April 29, 2007

Learning About Money is a Smart Move

Amid the backdrop of an increasingly complex financial environment, an economist on our staff recently concluded that 40 percent of consumers make mistakes when trying to select the best credit card deal.

Added April 20, 2007