Staff profile

Yeqin Zeng has a Ph.D. (2013) in Finance from the Foster School of Business, the University of Washington. Before joining Durham University Business School in 2018, he was Assistant Professor in Finance at ICMA Centre, Henley Business School. His main research interests are in empirical corporate finance and asset pricing with an emphasis on financial institutions and their interactions with both financial markets and corporations. Besides his main research interests, Yeqin has worked on corporate financial hedging, executive gender, executive compensation heterogeneity, stock price crash risk, M&As, value of cash, corporate investment efficiency, cost stickiness, trade credit, empirical asset bubble tests, and the relationship between bank loan and firm leverage. 

He has published papers in journals such as Journal of Corporate Finance, European Financial Management, International Review of Financial Analysis, Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, International Review of Economics and Finance. His papers have been presented in more than 30 school seminars and conferences worldwide. Detailed information of all papers and conferences can be found here.

He teaches Financial Markets and Institutions (BSc) and Financial Economics (BSc) at Durham University Business School. Prior to joining Durham University, he has taught Securities, Futures, and Options (MSc) and Business Mathematics and Statistics (BSc) at the ICMA Centre, and Business Finance (BSc) and Investment (BSc) at the University of Washington. Ph.D. applicants with research interests in U.S markets are welcome.

Mini-Biography

Associate Professor in Economics and Finance: Yeqin joined Durham University Business School in 2018 as Associate Professor in Finance. Yeqin holds double Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Economics from Wuhan University, a Master’s degree in Economics from Claremont Graduate University, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Washington. He also passed the first two levels of Charted Financial Analyst exam and received the Computational Finance Certificate offered by the Statistics Department and the Applied Math Department of the University of Washington.

• Empirical Asset Pricing
• Empirical Corporate Finance
• Instututional Investors

Journal Article

• Generalist CEOs and stock price crash risk
  
  Fang, X., Girardone, C., Li, Y., & Zeng, Y. (2025). Generalist CEOs and stock price crash risk. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 52(1), 182-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12804
• Your gender identity is who you are: Female chief executive officers and corporate debt structure
  
  Huang, Y., Zhu, Q., Yan, C., & Zeng, Y. (2025). Your gender identity is who you are: Female chief executive officers and corporate debt structure. International Journal of Finance and Economics, 30(1), 426-454. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2923
• Managing liquidity along the supply chain: Supplier-base concentration and corporate cash policy
  
  Di, L., Jiang, W., Mao, J., & Zeng, Y. (2024). Managing liquidity along the supply chain: Supplier-base concentration and corporate cash policy. European Financial Management, 30(4), 2376-2421. https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12479
• Do young CEOs matter for corporate digital transformation?
  
  Zou, Z., Fu, J., Zeng, Y., & Huang, Y. (2024). Do young CEOs matter for corporate digital transformation?. Economics Letters, 237, Article 111636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2024.111636
• Precautionary motive or private benefit motive for holding cash: Evidence from CEO ownership
  
  Yin, C., Sun, W., & Zeng, Y. (2023). Precautionary motive or private benefit motive for holding cash: Evidence from CEO ownership. International Review of Financial Analysis, 90(November 2023), Article 102820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102820
• How Does Firm-Specific Investor Sentiment Affect the Value of Corporate Cash Holdings?
  
  Guo, H., Yin, C., & Zeng, Y. (2023). How Does Firm-Specific Investor Sentiment Affect the Value of Corporate Cash Holdings?. British Journal of Management, 34(1), 410-441. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12602
• Flight to Lottery Ahead of FOMC Announcements: Institutional Investors or Retail Investors?
  
  Guo, H., Hung, C. D., Kontonikas, A., & Zeng, Y. (2023). Flight to Lottery Ahead of FOMC Announcements: Institutional Investors or Retail Investors?. British Journal of Management, 35(2), 1076-1096. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12755
• Financial Hedging, Corporate Cash Policy, and the Value of Cash
  
  Sun, W., Yin, C., & Zeng, Y. (2022). Financial Hedging, Corporate Cash Policy, and the Value of Cash. British Journal of Management, 33(3), 1271-1303. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12520
• Abnormal Investment and Firm Performance
  
  Liu, S., Yin, C., & Zeng, Y. (2021). Abnormal Investment and Firm Performance. International Review of Financial Analysis, 78, Article 101886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101886
• Financial Hedging and Corporate Investment  
  
  Alexandridis, G., Chen, Z., & Zeng, Y. (2021). Financial Hedging and Corporate Investment  . Journal of Corporate Finance, 67, Article 101887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.101887
• Motivated Monitoring by Institutional Investors and Firm Investment Efficiency
  
  Ward, C., Yin, C., & Zeng, Y. (2020). Motivated Monitoring by Institutional Investors and Firm Investment Efficiency. European Financial Management, 26(2), 348-385. https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12232
• The impact of top executive gender on asset prices: Evidence from stock price crash risk
  
  Li, Y., & Zeng, Y. (2019). The impact of top executive gender on asset prices: Evidence from stock price crash risk. Journal of Corporate Finance, 58, 528-550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2019.07.005
• Institutional cross-ownership and corporate strategy: The case of mergers and acquisitions
  
  Brooks, C., Chen, Z., & Zeng, Y. (2018). Institutional cross-ownership and corporate strategy: The case of mergers and acquisitions. Journal of Corporate Finance, 48, 187-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2017.11.003
• Institutional investor monitoring motivation and the marginal value of cash
  
  Ward, C., Yin, C., & Zeng, Y. (2018). Institutional investor monitoring motivation and the marginal value of cash. Journal of Corporate Finance, 48, 49-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2017.10.017
• Does access to capital affect cost stickiness? Evidence from China
  
  Cheng, S., Jiang, W., & Zeng, Y. (2018). Does access to capital affect cost stickiness? Evidence from China. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 25(1-2), 177-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/16081625.2016.1253483
• Financial Hedging and Firm Performance: Evidence from Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions
  
  Chen, Z., Han, B., & Zeng, Y. (2017). Financial Hedging and Firm Performance: Evidence from Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions. European Financial Management, 23(3), 415-458. https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12103
• Institutional investors: Arbitrageurs or rational trend chasers
  
  Zeng, Y. (2016). Institutional investors: Arbitrageurs or rational trend chasers. International Review of Financial Analysis, 45, 240-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2016.03.006
• State ownership, bank loans, and corporate investment.
  
  Jiang, W., & Zeng, Y. (2014). State ownership, bank loans, and corporate investment. International Review of Economics and Finance, 32, 92-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2014.01.009