Buffalo, NY - Canisius University Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Zachary McGurk, PhD, is a lead author on a newly accepted article in the Scottish Journal of Political Economy, an established international peer-reviewed journal in economics. The paper is among the first to utilize prediction and event markets to study asset prices, offering new insights into how financial markets process information and form expectations.
The study systematically incorporates Polymarket data into the empirical analysis of financial asset prices and examines how information embedded in prediction markets — platforms where participants trade contracts tied to future events — can be used to better understand asset price movements and the formation of expectations. The article is available through the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).
McGurk joined the Canisius faculty in 2019 and teaches international finance and business analytics. His research focuses on empirical international macroeconomics and macro-finance, with particular emphasis on time series methods. McGurk's scholarship reflects a focus on rigorous quantitative analysis and real-world financial applications.
“Dr. McGurk’s publication in a top-tier journal highlights the strength of faculty scholarship within the Wehle Business School,” said Shawn O’Rourke, PhD, dean of the Division of Business, Communication and Health Studies. “His research not only advances academic understanding but also enriches the classroom experience for our students.”
Prior to joining Canisius, McGurk earned his PhD in economics from West Virginia University in 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he provided financial transaction transfer pricing consulting services to large multinational corporations. His professional experience informs his teaching and research, bridging theory and practice in global finance.
For more information about the Department of Economics and Finance at Canisius University, visit canisius.edu.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
