TAC’s quantitative expertise is used in many projects and studies, either as a core ingredient of the research, or as a supporting instrument in a larger process. Here below is a short list extracted from TAC’s assignments implying a substantial dose of quantitative developments:

• RiskMonitor, a model for early warning of crises in emerging economies
  
  RiskMonitor is TAC’s proprietary model for early warning of crises in emerging economies. It is a highly complex tool, but very didactic and avoiding ‘black box’ phenomena, combining the most recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence, notably neural networks, genetic algorithms, combinatorial systems, and non-linear algebra. The system is used on a subscription basis by about 20 very large European financial institutions or industrial / service multinationals (1995 to-date).

• A statistical tool to classify the very diverse population of very small companies
  
  MINEFI (French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry) wanted to improve the ability of very small enterprises (VSEs) to convey useful information on their situation, perspectives and risks, both for the companies’ owners and for their creditors. TAC was associated with a team of University professors (EM Lyon, University of Paris X, University of Corsica) and was in charge of designing the statistical tools enabling a meaningful classification of the very diverse population of VSEs, and of proposing a trial web-based tool to be developed at a later stage (2001-2003).

• Modernize the country risk assessment model of one of the largest European Bank
  
  When one of the largest European Bank decided to update and modernize its own country risk assessment model, they went through an international tender. TAC was selected against world-class competitors, mostly because we were the only one to propose this unique combination of knowledge of the substance (here, country risk analysis) and of the techniques (here signalling tools and the construction of a full-fledged / web-based instrument to be used in the whole bank, whatever the location of the user). This was mostly an ‘intelligent computer development programme on country risk with enhanced distribution facilities’, to be integrated into the bank’s own computer systems and security procedures. Not only has TAC executed the contract in due time, but it has also provided very useful insights and comments into both the bank’s country risk system itself, and the ways to optimise the use and presentation of complex data on a large number of countries (2001-2003).

• Execution and analysis of surveys to companies localed in developing countries
  
  Many studies made by TAC for the European Commission (DG Relex, DG Trade, AidCo) during the past years have included the definition, execution and analysis of surveys to companies located in developing countries. TAC has indeed realized the largest survey made on foreign investors in India (see the dedicated website www.trade-invest.org), then one of the largest made to foreign investors in ASEAN, and provided both simple data treatment and more complex statistical analysis to identify behavioural / performance patterns within the foreign investors’ communities. TAC has also conceived, designed and implemented a benchmarking tool for trade policies and investment policies in developing countries (the model was called FACTOM), with an operational application on seven Asian countries (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka).. This model allows policy makers to test the impact of changes at a detailed level of regulation or performance (custom tariffs, taxes, operating costs…) on their country’s overall trade regime and attraction for foreign investors.

• A large macro-econometric model for the banking industry
  
  Back in the mid-90s, TAC was appointed by the French Bankers Association (AFB, now FBF) to construct a large macro-econometric model aiming at providing a link between the cyclical assumptions and performances for the French economy and the results for the banking industry, in terms of aggregate balance sheet, and aggregate income and earnings. The banking activities were divided in seven major businesses, and the model used both standard econometrics and behavioural equations to represent the banks’ aggregate appetite for risk and supply-side competitive pressures (1994-96).