Summary

I am a financial economist, ex-trader and Reader in the Economics and Finance.

I started my doctoral research on LIBOR in 2009 (almost three years before the LIBOR manipulation scandal broke) and I am also the author of  ‘Barometer of Fear: An Insider’s Account of Rogue Trading and the Greatest Banking Scandal in History’. 

I do teaching, as well as impact-related research on controversies in financial markets. To raise general awareness of the problems and the need for change, I have actively engaged with media through op-eds and interviews (e.g. Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Times, USA Today, Süddeutsche Zeitung). I have also discussed and explained issues on TV/radio and given keynotes and public talks.

Since 2010, I have also consulted on issues related to financial markets, risk, compliance and ethics, and have served as an expert advisor on legal cases involving financial benchmarks, cash and derivatives markets in both Europe and North America.

Biography

I am a Reader in Economics and Finance and have been at the University of Portsmouth since 2014. I obtained a Civilekonom degree, an MSc in Financial Economics and a CEMS Master from the Stockholm School of Economics. After that, I spent 15 years as a foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives trader at HSBC, Citi, Crédit Agricole and Merrill Lynch. In 2009, I returned to academia to complete a PhD in Economics from SOAS University of London. I have also held academic positions at SOAS, the University of Leeds, Washington University in St. Louis (London programme) and Meiji University in Tokyo.

Research interests

I am interested in research on deception and perceptions in financial markets. My research is primarily focused on monetary policy and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, and current projects include:

• Unethical trading practices among human and algorithmic traders
• Social norms and anti-competitive behaviour in OTC markets
• Monetary policy in the absence of liquid interbank money markets
• Connectedness and spillovers in fixed income and interest rate derivatives markets

Teaching responsibilities

Since joining the University of Portsmouth, I have taught courses related to Behavioural Finance and International Financial Markets at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I have also been invited to give guest lectures or lecture series internally and externally (Centria University of Applied Sciences, City University London, Hanken School of Economics, Meiji University, Nagasaki University, Peking University HSBC Business School, Queen Mary University of London, SOAS University of London, University of Iowa, University of Tampere, University of Tennessee, Washington University in St. Louis).

Media availability

I am happy to take calls and emails from the media on my research, and am aware of the needs to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact me directly at alexis.stenfors@port.ac.uk