First Post

In December of 2020, I received my economics PhD.  My field of study is primarily where economics and finance mix (i.e. 'financial economics').  So in an effort to stay up-to-date with research and highlight papers that are both exciting and have significant social value, I've decided to do a few things:

  1. Subscribe to the top journals in financial economics - known as the 'top 3', these are the most coveted places to publish financial economics research.  These include the Journal of Finance, the Review of Financial Studies, and the Journal of Financial Economics.
  2. Read and summarize the articles as they are published - each journal publishes somewhere between 6 and 12 times a year.  Each journal edition will have about a dozen or so articles to look over.  I will read over all of these and summarize their content in the shortest and most readable way possible.
  3. Post summaries on public blog - it seems to me that academics primarily write articles 'explaining' the news to the public.  There's nothing wrong with that, since it gives people a way to understand the world around them as stories arise.  It is, however, a swamped market.  There are a LOT of these types of blogs.  Also, frankly, the news can be awfully depressing and sometimes people need a reprieve. On the other hand, academic journals are expensive, technical, and long... but are often the product of years of hard work by very bright people.  By having a PhD in economics, I'm in a privileged position to access these articles and explain what humanity is learning about finance.
The game plan is this: posts should be expected monthly, at a minimum.  My hope is to also have lookbacks from time to time to summarize developments and trends, as well as highlight what I think has been the most exciting research of the past year.

But, like all things, this should be one step at a time.  Once I receive the first edition of the Journal of Finance for 2021, I will read, summarize, and post my thoughts on papers thus far.

Here's to a new year and new chances to learn, include, and care.

-Brandt

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