In recent years, European financial economists have been brought together, via research projects and bubble01ces, by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). These fruitful interactions have contributed to the development of financial economics in Europe, and have generated a strong flow of interesting writing---both theoretical and empirical---in the fields of financial markets and corporate finance.

The chapters in this volume and its companion volume, "Financial Markets: A Reader", reflect the depth and breadth of the research interests of European scholars in financial economics. The chapters that appear in this volume further our understanding of the interaction between business cycle and financial imperfections, IPOs, takeover bids, and the interplay between banks and financial markets. The analysis presented in "Financial Markets" enhances our understanding of asset pricing, both in the context of perfect markets and in the context of market imperfections, such as asymmetric information. Together, these two volumes comprise an authoritative and invaluable reference tool for scholars and others working in the fields of finance, corporate finance, and monetary economics.