Finitely annihilated groups

We say a group is finitely annihilated if it is the set-theoretic union of all its proper normal finite index subgroups. We investigate this new property, and observe that it is independent of several other well known group properties. For finitely generated groups, we show that in many cases it is equivalent to having non-cyclic abelianisation, and at the same time construct an explicit infinite family of counterexamples to this. We show for finitely presented groups that this property is neither Markov nor co-Markov. In the context of our work we show that the weight of a non-perfect finite group, or a non-perfect finitely generated solvable group, is the same as the weight of its abelianisation. We generalise a theorem of Brodie-Chamberlain-Kappe on finite coverings of groups, and finish with some generalisations and variations of our new definition.Comment: 13 pages. This is the version submitted for publicatio

Bank interest rates pass-through: new evidence from French panel data

This paper investigates the pass-through mechanism from market interest rates to bank interest rates using a panel of French banks based on new interest rates statistics. The data are extracted from new individual contracts, on a monthly basis for the three main sectors of the credit market (consumers loans, mortgage loans and loans to enterprises) from January 2003 to July 2007. The pass-through is estimated using recent econometric methods on non-stationary panel data. In contrast to previous studies, cross-sectional dependence among banks is allowed. Our results confirm that bank rates for loans to enterprises and mortgage loans do not adjust completely to changes in market rates, even in the long run. The model also captures the narrowing of the intermediation margin during the period considered.transmission mechanism of monetary policy, nonstationary panel data, cross-section dependence

Strongly bounded groups and infinite powers of finite groups

We define a group as strongly bounded if every isometric action on a metric space has bounded orbits. This latter property is equivalent to the so-called uncountable strong cofinality, recently introduced by G. Bergman. Our main result is that G^I is strongly bounded when G is a finite, perfect group and I is any set. This strengthens a result of Koppelberg and Tits. We also prove that omega_1-existentially closed groups are strongly bounded.Comment: 10 pages, no figure. Versions 1-3 were entitled "Uncountable groups with Property (FH)". To appear in Comm. Algebr

Instruction à écrire des lettres, 1e partie : De la Matière des Lettres (Le Secrétaire à la mode, Amsterdam, Louis Elzevier, 1646, p. 5-37)

Principes d’édition Nous reproduisons ici la première partie de l’« Instruction à écrire des lettres » qui ouvre Le Secrétaire à la mode de Jean Puget de la Serre (Amsterdam, Louis Elzevier, 1646, p. 5-37). Les modifications apportées au texte original sont les suivantes. Nous avons :- modernisé l’orthographe et la conjugaison (mais conservé la casse et la ponctuation) ; - remplacé l’abréviation « & » par « et » ;- corrigé les erreurs manifestes ;- mis le contenu des manchettes en interti..

Geometry of Reidemeister classes and twisted Burnside theorem

This is a (mostly expository) paper on Reidemeister classes, twisted Burnside-Frobenius theory, congruences, R-infinity property and all that. It was written in 2005 and published in 2008. We post it as it was, only the bibliography data is updated. For some of the recent progress see e.g. arXiv:0903.4533, arXiv:0903.3455, arXiv:0802.2937, arXiv:0712.2601, arXiv:0704.3411, arXiv:math/0703744, arXiv:math/0606725, arXiv:math/0606764, arXiv:0805.1371 and references there

La transmission des taux de marché aux taux bancaires : une estimation sur données individuelles françaises.

The present paper investigates the pass-through mechanism between market interest rates and bank interest rates using a panel of French banks based on new ESCB harmonised bank interest rate statistics (MIR: Monetary Interest Rates). The data are extracted from new individual contracts on a monthly basis for the three main segments of the credit market (consumers loans, mortgage loans and loans to non-financial firms) from January 2003 to July 2007. The pass-through is estimated using two approaches: firstly a univariate approach for each bank and secondly a panel data approach. An evaluation of the adjustment lag at which market rates are passed through to retail bank rates is also carried out. Our results confirm an incomplete adjustment of bank rates to changes in market rates in the long-term for loans to non-financial firms and mortgage loans. In addition, our findings suggest significant heterogeneity in the pricing of loans depending on the type of credit, the size and the legal category of banks.Transmission Mechanism of Monetary Policy ; Non-stationary Panel Data ; Cross-section Dependance.

Bank interest rates pass-through: new evidence from French panel data

This paper investigates the pass-through mechanism from market interest rates to bank interest rates using a panel of French banks based on new interest rates statistics. The data are extracted from new individual contracts, on a monthly basis for the three main sectors of the credit market (consumers loans, mortgage loans and loans to enterprises) from January 2003 to July 2007. The pass-through is estimated using recent econometric methods on non-stationary panel data. In contrast to previous studies, cross-sectional dependence among banks is allowed. Our results confirm that bank rates for loans to enterprises and mortgage loans do not adjust completely to changes in market rates, even in the long run. The model also captures the narrowing of the intermediation margin during the period considered

Bank interest rates pass-through: new evidence from French panel data

This paper investigates the pass-through mechanism from market interest rates to bank interest rates using a panel of French banks based on new interest rates statistics. The data are extracted from new individual contracts, on a monthly basis for the three main sectors of the credit market (consumers loans, mortgage loans and loans to enterprises) from January 2003 to July 2007. The pass-through is estimated using recent econometric methods on non-stationary panel data. In contrast to previous studies, cross-sectional dependence among banks is allowed. Our results confirm that bank rates for loans to enterprises and mortgage loans do not adjust completely to changes in market rates, even in the long run. The model also captures the narrowing of the intermediation margin during the period considered