Research
The Finance discipline is at the forefront of research internationally in corporate finance and security market microstructures.
In a recent study of finance schools in the Asia Pacific region, (Chan, K.C. et.al), "The Productivity of the Finance Profession in the Asia Pacific Region", Pacific Basin Finance Journal, the Finance discipline within the University of Sydney was ranked fourth in the Asia Pacific region in terms of research productivity and ranked first in Australia.
This research platform is supported by a significant set of industry and Australian Research Council funded research grants and access to major datasets of financial activity, including access to trade and quotation data from 250 exchanges throughout the world.
Access to this data, and our partnerships with some of the most significant financial institutions and investment banks in Australia and internationally, has given our work an impressive level of professional relevance and influence. We play a part in shaping regulatory and professional practices within the industry through, for instance, participation in the development of product initiatives of the Australian Stock Exchange, Sydney Futures Exchange and Dow-Jones, and in developing the surveillance practices of the Australian Stock Exchange.
As part of this professional engagement, the discipline hosts a great many distinguished international visitors and our staff are invited to undertake short-term appointments with leading international financial institutions. In 2005 Professor George Wang, Deputy Chief Economist Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Washington DC was in residence, presenting research workshops and working on collaborative research projects using specialised data from the CFTC; Carole Comerton-Forde was Visiting Economist with the NYSE for three months; and Alex Frino was with the Chicago Board of Trade as part of his Fulbright Fellowship.
Equally important, of course, is the fact that our graduates are sought after by many of the premier investment banks, fund managers, securities brokers and universities in the world. In senior positions in universities and investment banks, they affirm the place of the finance discipline at the University of Sydney within the academic discipline and the finance industry itself.