The impact that derivative trading has on the underlying security is essential to our understanding of security market behaviour, and important in the fields of market efficiency and pricing of such derivatives. This paper examines the impact that the introduction of exchange traded derivative warrants has on the underlying securities' price, volume and volatility in the AbstractThe impact that derivative trading has on the underlying security is essential to our understanding of security market behaviour, and important in the fields of market efficiency and pricing of such derivatives. This paper examines the impact that the introduction of exchange traded derivative warrants has on the underlying securities' price, volume and volatility in the Australian market. The major findings of significant negative abnormal returns, reduction in skewness, no change in beta and small changes in variance are consistent with recent research findings in the US, UK and Hong Kong. However findings of derivative warrant listing resulting in decreased trading volume in contrast with most prior research in the field.

This paper seeks to analyse the relationship between ownership structure and corporate performance for fifty firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange during 2002-2003. The study initially tests a two equation model similar to that in the existing literature, but is distinguished from prior literature by subsequently reclassifying leverage. By categorising leverage as an endogenous variable, an examination of the relationship between ownership and performance is undertaken through ordinary least squares and two stage least squares analysis of a three equation econometric model. Interestingly, empirical results illustrate the fact that managerial ownership impacts negatively on firm performance which is consistent with the management entrenchment hypothesis