Professor Charlie X Cai

Profile

Charlie X Cai is a Professor at Liverpool University, UK. Before this, he was a Professor in Finance at Leeds University Business School. Charlie's research career started with his PhD on the market microstructure of the London Stock Exchange, a research journey that taught him the foundations of financial markets and provided him with solid empirical modelling skills. Since then he has continued his research interest in examining the impact of technology on financial markets (issues such as algorithmic and high-frequency trading) and developed expertise in big data analytics. He subsequently broadened his research interests into asset pricing, corporate governance and banking.

His recent research focus has been in the area of financial technology (fintech) in an emerging market, pricing anomalies around the world and systemic risk in a global context, all of which are significant aspects of today’s global financial system. Many of his work has been published in ABS listed 3 and 4 start journals including the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking  British Journal of Management and Financial Management. He is currently serving on the editorial board of the International Small Business Journal and Accounting and Finance. 

Charlie's informed and rigorous approach has benefitted from his active collaboration with scholars from a wide range of academic, industrial and regulatory organizations. He has also worked outside academia as a research consultant, and he is committed to building research links with other disciplines and academic institutions worldwide. 

Charlie's teaching is research-led with an emphasis on real-world applications.  He was instrumental in creating a Trading Room in Leeds University Business School which brought the city experience to students.  Besides his academic life, Charlie has a strong interest in website and app development.  One of his recent projects is the development of a classroom and presentation mobile interaction app: text2vote.

Academic Employment

2017 to date: Professor, Liverpool University

2014 to 2016: Professor of Finance, Leeds University Business School

2012 to 2013: Professor of Finance, Research Cluster: Accounting, Finance and Economics, Bradford University School of Management

2008 to 2012: Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Finance, International Institute of Banking and Financial Services (IIBFS), Leeds University Business School

•  Deputy Director of IIBFS
• Leading international research collaborations
• Managing and reviewing postgraduate programmes
• Programme Director of MSc Finance programmes
• Teaching and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Personal tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Supervision of PhD students
• Programme Director of MSc Finance programmes
• Research: ongoing research project on Market microstructure of the London Stock Exchange
• Data management: maintaining and integrating data for research, including tick data from LSE, corporate governance data, accounting data
• Quantitative Research Methods course
• IT Management course 

2005 to 2008: Lecturer in Accounting & Finance, Leeds University Business School

2002 - 2005: Research Fellow, International Institute of Banking and Financial Services (IIBFS), University of Leeds

2001 to 2002: Teaching Assistant, Leeds University Business School

Administration

Director of Study for Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) programme (more than 150 students)
Bradford, 2013 Director of postgraduate Finance programmes
Bradford, 2012 to 2013
Leeds, 2007 to 2010

Teaching and research mentor for junior staff
Leeds, 2014 to date
Bradford, 2012 to 2013
Leeds, 2008 to 2012 Member of Academic Advisory Group for University Information System Services
Leeds, 2010 to 2012 Deputy Director of the International Institute of Banking and Financial Services (IIBFS)
Leeds, 2009 to 2012 Member of Blended Learning Strategy Group for Leeds University Business School faculty
Leeds, 2007 to 2012 Faculty representative on University Committee for High-Performance Computing
Leeds, 2008 to 2010 Personal tutor for undergraduate students
Leeds, 2006 to 2010 Tutor for industrial placement students
Leeds, 2008 to 2009

Doctoral Supervisions

• Ingmar Schaefer, Corporate governance and mutual fund, (since 2013; DBA and Portfolio Manager, Delta Lloyd Asset Management One, UK).
• Tim Nichol, Corporate governance in family firms, (since 2013; part-time student and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, Newcastle Business School, UK).
• Hossein Jahanshahloo, High frequency FX trading, (since 2012).
• Peng Li, Asset growth and asset pricing, (since 2012).
• Thang Nguyen, Diversification and corporate liquidity, (graduated 2013; now Research Fellow, Plymouth University, UK).
• Minjoo Kim, Finance applications of functional form autoregressive modelling, (graduated 2011; now Lecturer, Glasgow University, UK).
• Forrest Jun Wang, Interaction of internal and external corporate governance mechanisms, (graduates 2011; now Lecturer, University of Dundee, UK).
• Jacky Qi Zhang, Investor behaviours and post-event drift, (graduated 2010; now Associate Professor, Leeds University Business School, UK).
• Suntharee Lhaopadchan, Forecasting volatility in the UK, (graduated 2007; now Head of Research, Kasetsart University, Thailand).
• Kadida Mashaushi, The predictability of asset returns, (graduated 2007; now Head of Banking, Institute of Finance Management, Tanzania). 

Research interests

• Microstructure of financial markets
• Asset pricing
• Information disclosure
• Corporate governance
• Behavioural finance
• Banking and risk management

Charlie's research agenda covers financial markets, asset pricing, corporate governance, behavioural finance, banking and emerging markets. During the current REF assessment period, he has published eight papers in ABS Grade 3-rated journals and one in a Grade 4-rated journal; and he has a number of papers under submission to Grade 3- and 4-rated journals. Charlie's research career started with his PhD on the market microstructure of the London Stock Exchange, a research journey that taught him the foundations of financial markets and provided him with solid empirical modelling skills. Early success in this work earned him a research post in the International Institute of Banking and Financial Services (IIBFS) two years before his PhD graduation. He subsequently broadened his research interests into asset pricing, corporate governance and banking. In maturing as a researcher, Charlie focused increasingly on issues of importance not only academically but also socially. His recent research focus has been limited arbitrage, systemic risk and corporate governance in emerging economies, all of which are significant aspects of today’s global financial system.

Research Projects

1. Private equity and SME financing in China (with P Jiang and K Keasey ), funded by UIBE, Beijing, 2010 to date.
2. IFRS and market efficiency: Studying the impact of IFRS adoption on market efficiency around the world (with S Mollah, University of Stockholm) funded by Handelsbanken, 2012 to date.
3. Determinants and consequences of cross-country interdependence in the international stock markets before, after and during the global shocks (with Q. Zhang & A Mobarek, University of Stockholm) funded by Handelsbanken, 2012 to date.
4. Credit rating and IPO pricing (with P. B. McGuinness & Q Zhang) in collaboration with Standard & Poor Capital IQ, Hong Kong and Singapore, 2014 to date.

Qualifications

• 2000-2004, PD (full and part time) in Finance, Leeds University Business School, Leeds
• 1999-2000, M.A. in Accounting and Finance, Leeds University Business School, Leeds
• 1995-1999, B.A. in Economics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China