Knowledge at Wharton

Using tax credits low-interest loans and grants the Obama Administration reportedly plans to invest more than $50 billion in electric vehicles renewable energy and a host of other clean technology -- or ”cleantech” -- ventures by the end of next year. But to what extent is today’s fast-paced investment in cleantech a victim of irrational exuberance and the herd mentality often associated with venture capitalism? Quite a lot say experts at Wharton and in the larger investment community.

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The U.S. housing market has been wobbly for several years but it has shown some signs of perking up in recent months. The latest reports however indicate a setback with median home prices dropping slightly and sales well below the already depressed levels of 2009. Yet a combination of low mortgage rates and apparent home-price bargains should still be drawing some buyers into the market. Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Wharton real estate professor Susan M. Wachter about the housing market’s slow recovery the prospect of another sharp dip in prices the effect of foreclosures on the economy and what it will take to get the market back on track.

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France expels Roma Gypsies; a prominent German economist says migrants are destroying the country; a far-right party with an anti-immigration platform wins its first parliamentary seats in Sweden. Few countries in Europe have escaped the recent heated debates about immigration within their borders. Against this backdrop a growing body of research is helping Europeans understand whether and under what conditions immigration is economically and socially beneficial. As one Wharton expert notes ”It’s not a zero-sum game.”

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Faced with the possibility of a global currency war Western countries are increasing their scrutiny of China’s currency policies accusing Beijing of intervening in the markets to keep China’s currency weaker than it would be otherwise. In the U.S. politicians and regulators say such tactics undermine efforts to boost exports and thus take away jobs from American workers. But the controversy is more complicated than that and touches on policies and attitudes that go back decades. Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Wharton professors Franklin Allen and Mauro Guillen about what is at stake and why this particular conflict is so difficult to resolve.

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After losing equity in their homes and stock portfolios Americans are now scrambling to make up lost savings by moving money into bonds and a host of other investments once considered either risky or unattractive. Although the dramatic shift in investment behavior is unlikely to have a long-term impact on the economy analysts warn that the new strategies could have a profound effect on individual investors themselves. Wharton faculty weigh in on the potential upsides and downsides that consumers face as they move into new investment categories.

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As the world haltingly recovers from the recession regulators are struggling to modify the financial system to prevent another crisis. The latest effort: stricter capital requirements to help prevent large banks from collapsing under the weight of unexpected losses. While the new proposals -- called Basel III -- are designed to reduce risk-taking by assuring that banks continue lending in a weak economy Wharton faculty and others are skeptical that the new proposals will accomplish this goal.

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A board’s primary fiduciary responsibility is to ensure that a CEO is generating profits for shareholders but Mark Hurd’s abrupt departure from the top job at Hewlett-Packard underscores how boards of directors do not judge a CEO’s performance on company prosperity alone. Rather boards use a broad set of intangible criteria -- ranging from how well leaders are able to earn employees’ trust to how well they deal with customers to how they conduct themselves off site -- as a way of evaluating success or failure. But these standards experts say can be extraordinarily difficult for boards to assess.

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The collapse in home prices during the past few years is a reminder of the horrors of deflation. Millions of homeowners owe lenders more than their homes are worth making it impossible to sell trade up downsize or move for a new job. What would happen if deflation were to spread across the entire economy driving down wages and the prices of all goods and services?

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AT&T and Verizon are about to throw the dice in a bet that will put billions of dollars on the line. The companies the two largest mobile phone operators in the United States are expected to launch a pilot program to see whether their customers are ready to trade credit cards for smartphones equipped with similar swipe technology for making purchases. But will Americans want to put aside their comfortable relationship with plastic credit cards? And can they overcome security concerns about adopting a new payment system? Industry experts weigh in.

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When Roche Holding acquired full ownership of Genentech last year the $46.8 billion deal was the culmination of a more than 20-year relationship between the Swiss pharmaceutical giant and the Silicon Valley biotechnology company. In a recent presentation at Wharton San Francisco Steve Krognes -- a former Roche executive who is now senior vice president and CFO of Genentech -- talked about the pharma company’s decision to pursue the merger efforts to raise capital amid the beginnings of the 2008 recession and the aftermath of the deal.

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