In recent years there is an increasing research attention on youth and their transition to adulthood. In that transition they have increasing demand for financial products and services. If they are not financial included it may leave long-lasting consequences for their future independence and stability.The main goal of this research is to investigate and explain barriers to poor financial inclusion of youth in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), and make some recommendations for increasing their financial inclusion, and indirectly for strengthening their social inclusion. Implications of this study suggest that the main reason for being unbanked is because someone else in the family already has an account, or because they do not have enough money to use services of financial institutions. The results have revealed statistically significant relation between need for financial services at a formal institution and having a bank account, category of students’ financial knowledge and having a bank account, having a debit card and having a credit card. Research results can serve the economic and social policy makers in the FBiH in policy and strategy design.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explain difference in tolerance towards financial risk among entrepreneurs with different levels of financial literacy. Financial risk tolerance is the maximum amount of uncertainty an entrepreneur is willing to accept when making a financial decision. On the other hand, and according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), financial literacy can be defined as a combination of awareness, knowledge, skill, attitude and behaviour necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve individual financial wellbeing. Therefore, the aim of the study is to explain relationship between measured level of entrepreneurs’ financial literacy and their assessed tolerance towards financial risk. This is a quantitative study, where we use a questionnaire to asses tolerance towards financial risk and to measure the level of financial literacy. Also, we use non-probability sampling methods where participants are recruited by e-mail. To gain better understanding of relationship between entrepreneurs’ financial literacy and their assessed tolerance towards financial risk we use descriptive statistics, chi-square, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study are expected to shed more light on understanding of relationship between entrepreneurs’ overall financial literacy and their tolerance towards financial risk. Implications of this study suggest that entrepreneurs’ tolerance towards financial risk may be driven more by their financial attitude and behaviour rather than their financial knowledge. Key words: measurement of financial literacy, measuring tolerance towards financial risk, entrepreneurs

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explain difference in tolerance towards financial risk among entrepreneurs with different levels of financial literacy. Financial risk tolerance is the maximum amount of uncertainty an entrepreneur is willing to accept when making a financial decision. On the other hand, and according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), financial literacy can be defined as a combination of awareness, knowledge, skill, attitude and behaviour necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve individual financial wellbeing. Therefore, the aim of the study is to explain relationship between measured level of entrepreneurs’ financial literacy and their assessed tolerance towards financial risk. This is a quantitative study, where we use a questionnaire to asses tolerance towards financial risk and to measure the level of financial literacy. Also, we use non-probability sampling methods where participants are recruited by e-mail. To gain better understanding of relationship between entrepreneurs’ financial literacy and their assessed tolerance towards financial risk we use descriptive statistics, chi-square, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study are expected to shed more light on understanding of relationship between entrepreneurs’ overall financial literacy and their tolerance towards financial risk. Implications of this study suggest that entrepreneurs’ tolerance towards financial risk may be driven more by their financial attitude and behaviour rather than their financial knowledge. Key words: measurement of financial literacy, measuring tolerance towards financial risk, entrepreneurs

The subject of this paper refers to the current obstacles to the development of women's entrepreneurship in B&H: namely, the obstacles arising from the impact of gender roles on women's entrepreneurship, barriers arising from missing entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, barriers relating to the source of capital and establishment procedures and the obstacles that result from inhibiting factors. The overall purpose of this research was to identify the scientific method and clarify the current obstacles to the development of women’s entrepreneurship in B&H, in order to be on the basis of research results identify concrete measures to reduce unemployment. In order to identify the key obstacles to the development of women entrepreneurship in B&H, the methodology is based on primary research, in which data are collected by the method of written tests using a structured questionnaire. Based on consultation with relevant theoretical sources and the empirical research, the main conclusion of this study is that access to finance and advisory services, entrepreneurial skills and administrative services are basic factors limiting the development of female entrepreneurship in B&H.

Abstract The main goal of this article is to examine risk aversion impact on securities portfolio performance in underdeveloped capital markets. For the purpose of this research, portfolio performance was taken as a dependent variable, whereas investors’ attitude towards risk was considered as an independent variable. The analysis results have revealed that, ceteris paribus, an increase in risk aversion leads to a decrease in expected return and the creation of more superior securities portfolio. The article is expected to produce useful pieces of information which might be helpful for investors in the process of creating their portfolios in underdeveloped capital markets.

Abstract The main goal of this paper is to investigate the behaviour of stock returns in the case of stock markets from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), focusing on the relationship between returns and conditional volatility. Since there is relatively little empirical research on the volatility of stock returns in underdeveloped stock markets, with even fewer studies on markets in the transitional economies of the CEE region, this paper is designed to shed some light on the econometric modelling of the conditional mean and volatility of stock returns from this region. The results presented in this paper provide confirmatory evidence that ARIMA and GARCH processes provide parsimonious approximations of mean and volatility dynamics in the case of the selected stock markets. There is overwhelming evidence corroborating the existence of a leverage effect, meaning that negative shocks increase volatility more than positive shocks do. Since financial decisions are generally based upon the trade-off between risk and return, the results presented in this paper will provide valuable information in decision making for those who are planning to invest in stock markets from the CEE region.

The main goal of this paper is to explain the discriminatory variables between the blue chip and second-grade stocks in the underdeveloped stock markets of the South Eastern European (SEE) region. Since there is relatively less empirical research on the stock selection in underdeveloped markets, with even less studies on the markets in the transition economies of the SEE region, this paper is designed to shed some light on the identification of blue chip stocks from this region. Results presented in this paper provide confirmatory evidence that the blue chip stocks from the selected underdeveloped stock markets of the SEE region can be identified by examining their dividend yields, price to cash flow and EPS. Therefore, both institutional and individual investors need to focus on these variables when selecting stocks from these markets in order to reduce the risk associated with investing in equities.

The main goal of this paper is to scientifically examine and propose new approach of stock selection and analysis based on multivariate technique, i.e. discriminant analysis, in order to help investors, individual and institutional, in their decision making process, especially in case of underdeveloped capital markets. Therefore, in this paper we investigate the cross—sectional relation between the independent variables of the model, comprised of beta coefficient and some fundamental variables as well as the average stock returns on the underdeveloped capital market of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We concluded that discriminant analysis is a useful quantitative tool that can help investors in shaping their investment strategies. We also found that the beta coefficient, market capitalization and realized historical return have discriminatory capabilities in case of the capital market of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The real implications of this research can be seen in the shaping of investment strategies of potential investors looking to diversify their portfolios. The main limitations of this study are to be found in the shorter available financial time series in newly formed capitalistic economy, missing data due to the lack of collective records on levels of securities offerings issues.

The paper discusses the dynamic relationship between trading volume and security returns across the selected stock markets from the South Eastern European (SEE) region. The research on the issue of return-volume relationship stresses out a common belief that there is a positive relationship between returns and trading volume in the stock markets. Therefore, this paper seeks to ascertain the impact of information about trading volume on security returns in the SEE region. As a representative of this region, we use securities included in the South-Eastern Europe Traded Index (SETX) which is a tradable benchmark for the SEE region. To test whether trading volume precedes stock returns, or vice versa, we will use vector autoregressive model (VAR) and Granger causality test. By examining and analyzing this relationship we expect to shed some light on important issues such as market structure and information arrival, market efficiency, empirical distribution of asset prices and alternative types of asset behavior obtainable from the joint dynamics of price and trading volume. Keywords: trading volume, security return, causality.

This article describes the small and medium enterprise (SME) sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and other Western Balkan countries, and compares their development. The authors identify the levels of development achieved, remedial measures and activities for stimulating this sector. There is special emphasis on external and internal obstacles to small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in BiH. The authors conclude that in respect to SMEs BiH lags behind other countries in the region, where this sector has achieved dynamic development and a majority share in the employment market, exports and GDP. That said, there remains a need across the whole region to resolve obstacles in the domestic market, alongside initiating intensive activities aimed at introducing the SMEs to the Single European Market. For BiH, primary research has been carried out to determine the external and internal obstacles to SMEs in the country’s manufacturing sector. The key obstacles are identified, their intensity and grade determined, and they are classified into three groups. Factor analysis was used in determining six factors explaining external obstacles and two factors for internal obstacles. It has also been confirmed that other companies apart from manufacturing SMEs face broadly similar external obstacles, and that these obstacles are more in evidence when compared to the situation in other Western Balkan countries. Recommendations are offered to the Government of BiH and SME managements for removing the obstacles which have been identified.

Abstract In this paper authors research: how changes on the capital markets (developed financial markets and financial markets of transitional countries) determine investor's decision about the scope of international portfolio diversification, in other words about the scope of reduction of system risks, and whether beta coefficient movements on the financial market of BandH (beta coefficient estimation on BandH financial market are made) can be an indicator for investors in which stocks to invest.