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The large deviation of the actual return of a leveraged exchange-traded fund (LETF) from the leveraged multiple of the underlying index return has drawn considerable attention from investors, regulators, and the financial media. Despite this attention, the sources and fundamental determinants of the LETF return deviation remain unidentified. This study constructs a clear, unified, objective, and executable framework that addresses the behaviors, sources, and determinants of the LETF compounding and noncompounding deviations. Our theoretical predictions and empirical results hold the promise of guiding investors, regulators, financial advisors, and portfolio managers toward a thorough understanding of the return behavior of LETFs.

Using a bivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model, we examine patterns of information flows for China-backed stocks that are cross-listed on exchanges in Hong Kong and New York. Results analyzing the dual-listed stocks indicate significant mutual feedback of information between domestic (Hong Kong) and offshore (New York) markets in terms of pricing and volatility. Stocks listed on the domestic market appear to play a more significant role of information transmission in the pricing process, whereas stocks listed on the offshore market play a bigger role in volatility spillover.

Using the comprehensive 2000 and 2002 surveys of Chinese entrepreneurs conducted by the National Association of Private Entrepreneurs and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, we examine the characteristics and financial performance of private enterprises in China. Entrepreneurs, on average, are 40 years old and many are well-educated; more than one-third of them have a college degree or higher. Their companies are young, with an average age of six to seven years. Entrepreneurs contribute most of the equity capital to the private firms, which in general, are profitable with an average return on assets of 16 percent in 2002 and 11 percent in 2000. Further empirical analysis demonstrates the important impact of social, financing and human capital on firms' financial performance. We find that social capital (measured by charitable contributions), financing capital (measured by the equity-to-total capital ratio), and human capital have significant effects on firm profitability, and younger entrepreneurs tend to be more successful in the new Chinese market economy.