Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Thu, Dec 18, 2025 11:31 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Alper Kara

Professor of Finance, University of Huddersfield
Alper Kara has joined Huddersfield Business School as a Professor of Finance in November 2017. Previously, he was a lecturer and a senior lecturer at the Loughborough University’s School of Business Economics and Director of MSc Programmes at the Hull University Business School. During his PhD he also worked in various capacities at the Universities of Leicester, Bangor and Robert Gordon. Prior to his academic career, Alper was a trader in international bond and foreign exchange markets and worked in the banking industry for five years.

Alper's research agenda is multidisciplinary and, broadly, related to the stability of the financial system and well-being of its participants (i.e. banks, corporates, SMEs and households). It covers topics in asset- and mortgage-backed securitization (pricing and performance) and its impact on banks and the financial system, financial exclusion of ethnic minorities and equality in access to finance (for households and SMEs), bank governance mechanism and its implications on risk management, and syndicated loans as a choice for corporate borrowing and bank lending. He has published in world leading journals and co-authored three books on Securitization, Banking and Syndicated Loans. His work has featured in globally important policy making institutions’ research outlets such as the Federal Reserve Bank, the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and Bank of International Settlements.
Alper has been awarded research grants from British Academy, Nuffield Foundation and Banco Central do Brasil for his work. He has also acted as a research consultant to the European Central Bank on various occasions and as an Expert Advisor to Europe Economics Consultancy on their European Commission Project.

Since 2004, Alper taught a spectrum of finance, banking and economics modules both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level (MSc, MBA and Executive Education) – including overseas programmes in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. He acts(acted) as an external examiner for Finance and Banking related UG and PG programmes/modules in a number of business schools in the UK.

How the UK’s rollback of banking regulations could risk another financial crisis

Mar 02, 2025 16:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law Fund Investing

After the global financial crisis of 2007-08, the UKs banking sector was placed under a much stricter regime. Bonuses were limited, regulations were beefed up and the whole industry scrutinised like never before. The idea...

UK interest rates cut – here’s the outlook for property owners and home buyers after the budget

Nov 09, 2024 06:15 am UTC| Economy

The main thrusts of the UK governments budget in October 2024 was more borrowing, more tax and more spending. And within those broad goals lie substantial implications for the housing market. One of the immediate...

Budget 2024: experts react to the UK government’s last roll of the economic dice ahead of a general election

Mar 07, 2024 09:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The spring budget of 2024 was widely seen as a chance for UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to inject some economic optimism into British politics ahead of a general election. Would he or wouldnt he cut income tax? (He wouldnt.)...

Bank CEOs set the tone from the top when it comes to risky behaviour — new research

Oct 15, 2023 04:07 am UTC| Business

Metro Bank positioned itself as a fresh start to banking when it launched in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. It was set up in 2010 as a challenger to the big five banks dominating the UK market post-crisis:...

Securitisation – the complex financial product that fuelled the financial crisis is making a comeback

Sep 18, 2018 12:47 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Securitisation was once lauded as an innovation designed to enhance the resilience and stability of the financial system by redistributing risk efficiently. Yet the housing bubble that burst and triggered the 2007-08...

Economy

Oil Prices Climb on Venezuela Blockade, Russia Sanctions Fears, and Supply Risks

Oil prices extended their gains during Asian trading on Thursday as geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela and Russia heightened concerns over global crude supply. Market sentiment was boosted after U.S. President...

Asian Stocks Slide as AI Spending Fears and Global Central Bank Decisions Weigh on Markets

Asian shares fell sharply on Thursday as technology stocks came under renewed pressure, driven by growing investor concerns over heavy artificial intelligence spending and its impact on corporate balance sheets. Market...

Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React

The U.S. dollar remained steady against major global currencies on Thursday as investors positioned themselves ahead of key central bank decisions in the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan. Currency markets showed cautious...

BoE Set to Cut Rates as UK Inflation Slows, but Further Easing Likely Limited

The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as signs mount that UK inflation is easing and economic growth is weakening. Financial markets anticipate a 25-basis-point reduction, bringing the...

U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Micron Earnings Boost AI Sentiment Ahead of CPI Data

U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Wednesday evening, supported by blowout earnings and strong guidance from Micron Technology, although broader gains remained limited as investors stayed cautious ahead of key U.S....

Politics

Trump Announces $1,776 Cash Bonus for U.S. Military Personnel Ahead of Christmas

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that eligible U.S. military personnel will receive a one-time cash payment of $1,776, a move he described as a special warrior dividend timed ahead of Christmas. The...

U.S. House Advances GOP Healthcare Bill as ACA Subsidies Near Expiration

A major U.S. federal healthcare subsidy expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire at the end of the year after the House of Representatives narrowly advanced a Republican healthcare bill that does not renew...

U.S. Initiates $11.1 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Rising China Tensions

Taiwans defence ministry announced on Thursday that the United States government has formally initiated the congressional notification process for a proposed $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, underscoring Washingtons...

Union-Aligned Investors Question Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Trump Immigration Policies

A union-aligned investment group has urged major U.S. corporations including Amazon, Walmart and Google-parent Alphabet to explain how President Donald Trumps immigration policies are affecting their finances, workforce...

Venezuela Seeks UN Security Council Meeting Over U.S. Oil Tanker Blockade

Venezuela has formally requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address what it described as ongoing U.S. aggression against the country, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The request...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

Apple Opens iPhone to Alternative App Stores in Japan Under New Competition Law

Apple has announced a major shift in its App Store policies in Japan, opening iPhones and other Apple devices to alternative app stores in order to comply with new competition laws aimed at reshaping the countrys...

Micron Technology Forecasts Surge in Revenue and Earnings on AI-Driven Memory Demand

Micron Technology delivered record first-quarter results and issued a bullish forecast for the current quarter, driven by rising memory prices and strong demand linked to artificial intelligence workloads. The upbeat...

Oracle Stock Slides After Blue Owl Exit Report, Company Says Michigan Data Center Talks Remain on Track

Oracle shares fell more than 4% on Wednesday after a Financial Times report claimed that Blue Owl Capital, Oracles largest U.S. data center partner, decided not to support a planned $10 billion data center project in...

OpenAI Explores Massive Funding Round at $750 Billion Valuation

OpenAI, the company behind the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT, has reportedly entered preliminary discussions with investors about a potential new funding round that could value the company at approximately $750 billion....

Republicans Raise National Security Concerns Over Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools

Republican lawmakers are raising alarms over potential U.S. national security risks after a Reuters report revealed that Intel evaluated advanced chipmaking equipment from ACM Research, a company with significant ties to...