PART I: ASSET PRICING DURING THE CRISIS 1. Does Investor Attention Influence Stock Market Activity? The Case of Spin-Off Deals; A.Carretta, V.Farina, E.A.Graziano & M.Reale 2. The Effects of Derivatives Trading on Stock Market Volatility and Market Efficiency. Some Evidence from European Markets; G.Liccardo 3. How Much Globalization is there in the World Stock Markets and where is it?; G.Nicolini & E.Dorodnykh 4. Financial Analyst Recommendation Driven Funds: a Risk Adjusted Measure Analysis; G.Galloppo 5. Alternative Neural Network Approaches for Enhancing Stock Picking using Earnings Forecasts; G.Galloppo & M.Aliano 6. Market Timing with the Black-Litterman Model; U.Pomante 7. Performance and Governance in Investment Management Companies; M.C.Arcuri PART II: REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT VEHICLES AND MARKETS DURING THE CRISIS 8. The Quality of Real Estate Data: the Italian Case; F.Battaglia, C.Porzio & G.Sampagnaro 9. Real Estate Trends and Portfolio Rebalancing: Evidence from Main European Markets; G.Mattarocci & G.Siligardos 10. The Choice of the Risk Measure in Selecting Real Estate Funds: Evidence from the Italian Market; C.Giannotti & G.Mattarocci PART III: PUBLIC SECTOR ISSUES IN A CRISIS SCENARIO 11. Economic and Financial Determinants of Italian Local Government Ratings: an Empirical Analysis; A.V.Venneri 12. Evolution of the Finance Function in the Italian Local Public Bodies; F.Quarta & P.Stefanizzi 13. Project Finance Exposures in the Supervisory Slotting Criteria Approach: Pricing and Judgmental Analysis; P.Marchetti & A.V.Venneri