The thesis examines the impact of the Trump and Biden administrations on international trade relations and agreements, specifically comparing their trade policies. It explores how their contrasting approaches—Trump's protectionist stance versus Biden's multilateral cooperation—have influenced global trade dynamics through a mixed-methods approach for analysis. The research incorporates bot

Oil price forecasting is critical for financial markets, economic and geopolitical stability, and has a direct impact on the energy transition. Therefore, practitioners in the financial industry strive to understand the key drivers of the oil price and determine its best prediction model. This thesis investigates whether the exchange rates of oil-importing countries have predictive power in explai

The number of listed companies that decide to buy back their own shares has increased significantly in Sweden in recent years. This paper examines whether buybacks of companies listed on Nasdaq Stockholm have resulted in abnormal returns for the companies' shares. The study covers buybacks carried out during the period 2015 to 2024. The return is measured as the cumulative return from the da

Within the upcoming decade many countries have the ambition of banning the sale of new cars that emit carbon dioxide in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Electric cars have been established as a key solution to combat climate change by replacing traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles which are being banned. To support the transition from ICE vehicle

This thesis explores the potential effects of universal basic income on labor supply and leisure allocation among employed individuals in Sweden. Grounded in the standard neoclassical labor-leisure framework, the study utilized an online survey targeting Swedish workers to investigate whether a monthly universal basic income of 12,208 SEK would reduce working hours and how individuals might reallo

This study investigates whether the amortization requirements introduced in Sweden in 2016 and 2018 have achieved their objectives, namely to reduce household debt ratios and dampen housing prices. The analysis is based on three hypotheses: the first examines the impact on the debt ratio, the second on housing prices, and the third explores whether the effects on housing prices vary across regions

This paper explores the impact of quantitative easing on debt in Sweden and the Euro area. The study examines the debt levels of both households and non-financial corporations and compares the results between Sweden and the Euro area. Using the historical balance sheets of the Riksbank and the European Central Bank, three hypotheses are tested using OLS time series regressions. The first hypothesi

The traditional assumption of normally distributed returns in portfolio optimization often fails to capture real-world complexities. This thesis investigates how higher moments – skewness and kurtosis – enhance portfolio optimization by addressing these complexities. Using polynomial goal programming and Bayesian shrinkage estimators, the study constructs and evaluates portfolios optimized for hig

Small and Medium – sized enterprises (SMEs) have historically underperformed against large enterprises in winning public procurement contracts both by measure of number of contracts and share of total contract value. Thus, both European Union and Swedish regulators have put forward recommendations on best practice to increase the presence of SMEs in public procurement. This study examines the impa

The integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in investment decisions and corporate practices has gained momentum, reflecting the global focus on sustainability and ethical practices. This study investigates the relationship between ESG-scores and stock returns from 2019 to 2022 across three industry groups – manufacturing and raw materials, technology and media services,

This paper mainly focuses on the effect of cell unbalancing on the overall performance of a battery pack, as well as the challenges associated with designing a protection system for the Battery Management System (BMS). With the increasing trend towards fully electric aircraft, cars, buses, bikes, etc., the battery pack has become the sole power source for these vehicles. Consequently, it's imperat

Improvisation and Intention. Jazz musicians' views on improvisational cognitionIn previous research on jazz improvisation, questions about the role of intention seem to be subject to widely differing views. What role do intentions play in jazz improvisation? If the improviser has a conscious intention to play what is being played, is this simultaneous with the per­formance of it, or are intention

Fruit juices are widely consumed due to their affordability, nutritional value, and convenience. As global health consciousness rises, the fruit juice market is projected to grow from $153.17 billion in 2024 to $209.51 billion by 2029. Membrane processes, first introduced in the 1970s, have become essential in juice production, offering precise separation at low temperatures. The fruit juice indus

In recent years, it has been shown that deep eutectic solvents (DES) and similar mixtures solvate and allow for self-assembly of surfactants, serving as potential “green” alternatives as solvents for, for example, templating nanomaterials or drug delivery applications. Which surfactants are soluble and how they self-assemble depends strongly on the mixture components and their molar ratio. Her

Beech-wood lignin, derived from the wood of beech trees (genus Fagus), is a lignin-rich biomass with significant potential for valorization. Beech forests are prevalent in temperate regions worldwide, and beech wood possesses desirable properties for various applications, including the construction industry, furniture-making, and pulp production. The oxidative depolymerization of hardwood lignin i

The AI Act marks a new chapter in AI governance, affecting companies around the world seeking to offer their services within the European Union. This study focuses on the comprehensive AI Act requirements set out for high-risk AI systems. We explored the perceived compliance challenge for the AI Act's high-risk requirements and associated contributing factors; the AI Act's impact on industry in te

Nurses are essential pillars of society, providing care for the sick. It is crucial for society to ensure that nurses have favorable working conditions, as they face a heightened risk of negative psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion due to the demanding nature of their work. The strain on healthcare staff, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic,

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a largely underdiagnosed disease including several phenotypes. In this report, the design of a study intending to evaluate the pathophysiological mechanism in COPD in relation to the specific phenotypes non-rapid and rapid decline in lung function is described together with the recruitment process of the study population derived from a po

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and an imbalance between proteases and antiproteases has been implicated to play a role in COPD pathogenesis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important proteases that along with their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP), affect homeostasis of elastin and