David Backus is the Heinz Riehl Professor of International Economics and Finance at New York University's Stern School of Business. His interests include international capital markets, fixed income and currency derivatives, and Asian and Latin American economic history. Prior to joining Stern in 1990, he studied at Hamilton College (BA, 1975) and Yale University (PhD, 1981), taught at Queen's University and the University of British Columbia, and served at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He is currently an editor of the Review of Economic Dynamics and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He grew up in Pittsburgh and remains an avid follower of the Pirates and Steelers.