The Fama of modern finance

When Eugene Fama enrolled at Chicago Booth School of Business in 1960, “finance was a joke”, he says in a candid and fascinating insight into his more than 50 years as a student, academic and teacher at the university.

The essay, published by Chicago Booth’s Capital Ideas, details Fama’s own history but also a short history of finance including how the efficient-market hypothesis was born.

Fama, who is often called the “father of modern finance”, calls the Black-Scholes paper on option pricing the most important paper in economics of the twentieth century.

“No other paper has to be learned by every single economist getting a PhD and has also created an industry – the derivatives industry.”

Fama, who also got into Harvard, chose to go to Chicago because he was advised that “it was more academically oriented than Harvard”.

He is the Robert R McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, and received a MBA and PhD from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Sponsored Content

“I love my work,” he says in the essay. “I have no intention of stopping as long as I’m breathing – and I may even do it after that.”

To read the full essay, click here.

Leave a Comment

Sort content by

What the crisis teaches us about sustainability

Institutional asset owners who have signed the UN Principles of Responsible Investing  were told they must make the effort to help pioneer a sustainable economy, in an address from David Blood, co-founder with Al Gore of Generation Investment Management. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

…as New Mexico Governor latest to ban third-party marketers

Bill Richardson has directed the State Investment Office to ban the use of third-party placement agents on investments of the state's Permanent Funds.

CalPERS formally adopts placement agency policy…

CalPERS has officially adopted a placement agent policy, in light of recent pay-to-play allegations at other public funds, and introduced an investment policy for leverage, as its total fund value increased to $177.5 billion as at April 23, up from $169.4 billion at the end of March. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

US funds change strategies in preparation for termination

The majority of US corporate plan sponsors want to terminate their frozen pension plans quickly but don’t have the sufficient assets to do so, according to Cecil Hemingway, US Retirement Practice Leader with Aon Consulting. A new survey by Aon, of more than 70 US organisations with a cumulative total of frozen pension plan asset

World Bank’s new asset management division targets SWF co-investment

The World Bank has set up a new asset management division, IFC Asset Management Company, and a new private equity fund, specifically designed to facilitate co-investment by sovereign wealth funds in developing countries. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

UK pension funds given property investment incentives

UK pension funds are being encouraged to support the residential property market via an initiative which would see them invest in the private rented housing sector for the first time. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Previous