Positive Feedback Trading: Google Trends and Feeder Cattle Futures

What do investors’ searches for public information reveal about their subsequent trading strategies?  Does their search for information support the hypothesis of market efficiency or does it lend support to the idea that investors have behavioral biases. Using Google Trends, we find that the volume of Google searches about feeder cattle is associated with re-enforcement of momentum trading in a manner consistent with a positive feedback mechanism.  Further, we find evidence that search volume for “cattle” is associated with higher volatility and thus amplifies the positive feedback trading mechanism, while the search volume for “corn”, a major input to cattle production, is associated with a reduction in volatility

Online, Instructional Television And Traditional Delivery: Student Characteristics And Success Factors In Business Statistics

Distance education has surged in recent years while research on student characteristics and factors leading to successful outcomes has not kept pace. This study examined characteristics of regional university students in undergraduate Business Statistics and factors linked to their success based on three modes of delivery - Online, Instructional Television (ITV), and Traditional classroom. The three groups were found to have similar GPAs prior to taking their statistics courses. Online students were more likely to be repeating the course, to have earned more credit hours prior to enrolling, and to be significantly older. Ordinary Least Squares regression identified GPA and % absences (or an effort proxy) as highly significant predictors of course performance. Academic advisors are encouraged to suggest a traditional format to students who are repeating the course and to caution students that previous online coursework may produce expectations that are not appropriate for online courses in statistics

Funding Status Projections for Southern Public Teaching Pension Plans

The average funding status for eleven southern state pension plans used by teachers as of 2005 is 86%, which translates into over a $40 billion shortfall. Employing Monte Carlo simulation, this study projects the expected future funding status along with confidence intervals for each of these states over the next 10 years. Projections suggest the average underfunding will remain virtually the same based on current state pension contributions and asset allocations. However, if underlying pension asset returns fail to meet expectations due to high funding risk, the average underfunding could fall to 73$150 billion

Nonresident Enrollment at Religious and Secular Colleges

Institutional characteristics and regional economic data are used to determine if religious private colleges have a higher percentage of nonresident students than do secular colleges. A test of means and a two-stage least squares regression are used on a data set of 827 private higher education institutions to present evidence on the differences between religious and secular private colleges. The study finds that the percentage of nonresident students is higher at secular than at religious private colleges. Evidence suggests that religious colleges may serve a special niche in their local market. It does not appear that nonresident students are willing to attend a religious college solely for religious reasons as their lower tuition levels do not result in higher out-of-state enrollments

Funding Status Projections for Southern Public Teaching Pension Plans

Funding status–pension plans, Funding projections–pension plans, E37, G23,

Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership: Using Chemistry and Biology Concepts To Educate High School Students about Alcohol

We developed the Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership (APEP), a set of modules designed to integrate a topic of interest (alcohol) with concepts in chemistry and biology for high school students. Chemistry and biology teachers (<i>n</i> = 156) were recruited nationally to field-test APEP in a controlled study. Teachers obtained professional development either at a conference-based workshop (NSTA or NCSTA) or via distance learning to learn how to incorporate the APEP modules into their teaching. They field-tested the modules in their classes during the following year. Teacher knowledge of chemistry and biology concepts increased significantly following professional development, and was maintained for at least a year. Their students (<i>n</i> = 14 014) demonstrated significantly higher scores when assessed for knowledge of both basic and advanced chemistry and biology concepts compared to students not using APEP modules in their classes the previous year. Higher scores were achieved as the number of modules used increased. These findings are consistent with our previous studies, demonstrating higher scores in chemistry and biology after students use modules that integrate topics interesting to them, such as drugs (the Pharmacology Education Partnership)