Michael Melvin

Research Areas

International Finance
Market Microstructure

Michael Melvin’s research in investments and international finance focuses on real issues facing global investors. He has published research in topics including exchange rates, currency investing, and international equity markets. His current research is focused on currency carry trades and transaction costs and exchange rate models.

Melvin’s most recent teaching position was at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. He has had past teaching positions at UCLA, UC San Diego, Arizona State University and Northwestern University. In addition to his academic achievements, Melvin is an accomplished industry researcher. Before joining the Rady School, he was Managing Director and Senior Research Advisor in Multi-Asset Strategies at BlackRock. Prior to that he was head of Currency and Fixed Income Research in the Global Market Strategies Group at BlackRock and Barclays Global Investors.

Melvin is in the Haas School “Club 6” for class evaluations with outstanding ratings and also received the Outstanding Teacher award at the Haas School. Melvin was also a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Germany.

Melvin earned a Ph.D. in Economics from UCLA.

Publications

“When Carry Goes Bad: the magnitude, causes, and duration of currency carry unwinds,” Financial Analysts Journal, forthcoming (with D. Shand).

“Equity Hedging and Exchange Rates at the London 4pm Fix,” Journal of Financial Markets, January 2015 (with J. Prins).

“Active Currency Investing and Performance Benchmarks,” Journal of Portfolio Management, Winter 2011 (with D. Shand).

“The Future of Currency Investing in Institutional Portfolios,” in Richard Levich and Momtchil Pojarliev, eds, The Role of Currency in Institutional Portfolios, Risk Books, 2014. 

“Forecasting Exchange Rates: an investor perspective,” in Graham Elliott and Allan Timmerman, eds, Handbook of Economic Forecasting, North Holland, 2013 (with John Prins and Duncan Shand).