René Stulz

René Stulz is the Everett D. Reese Chair of Banking and Monetary Economics at Ohio State University and one of the most cited finance economists globally. His research on why firms hedge (or don't), the role of financial globalization, corporate governance quality as a determinant of firm value, and bank risk-taking behavior has been foundational. He is a former president of the American Finance Association and has contributed to policy debates on banking regulation and capital requirements. Stulz also serves as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His empirical studies on foreign ownership restrictions, investor protection laws, and their effect on corporate valuations across countries contributed to the law-and-finance literature pioneered by La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer, and Vishny. Stulz's work on bank performance during the 2008 financial crisis — analyzing which banks suffered larger losses and why — informed regulatory discussions about capital adequacy, risk governance, and the structural vulnerabilities that contributed to the crisis.