Earnings management and institutional investor trading prior to earnings announcements

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasha Liu
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Earnings Announcements ◽  
Chinese Stock Market ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trading Patterns ◽  
Earnings Surprises ◽  
Trading Pattern ◽  
Investor Trading

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate if earnings management affects the trades of different investors prior to earnings announcements.Design/methodology/approachUsing a unique account-level trading data set from the Chinese stock market, the author investigates the different investor trading patterns prior to earnings announcements.FindingsThe author obtains direct evidence to show that: first, institutional investors, particularly active ones, tend to sell (buy) stocks before negative (positive) earnings surprises; second, institutional investors buy stocks intensively with the lowest earnings management and the highest earnings surprises, and the trading patterns are primarily driven by active institutions. No significant trading pattern is observed on the stocks with negative earnings surprises; and third, the author uses a natural experiment in accordance with the Chinese accounting standards reform to address endogeneity, and the causality of the results still holds.Originality/valueThe findings provide clear evidence by emphasizing the importance of earnings management in the formulation of investor decisions.

Do intraday week effect in currencies hourly trading reflect leverage and asymmetric anomalies? Policy implications for traders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wajid Shakeel Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Sohaib ◽  
Jamal Maqsood ◽  
Ateeb Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Garch Model ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Asymmetric Effect ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Rational Choices ◽  
Trading Pattern

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine if intraday week (IDW) effect of the currencies reflect leverage and asymmetric impact in currencies market. The study data set comprises of intraday patterns of 15 currencies from developed and emerging economies. Design methodology approach The study applies the exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (E-GARCH) model technique to observe the IDW leverage and asymmetric effect after introducing hourly dummies variables, namely, IDWmon, IDWwed, IDWfrid and IDWfrid-mon. Findings The study results favor the propositions and confirm that IDW effect do exist in the international forex markets in relation to hourly trading pattern for respective currencies. Mostly, currencies do depreciate on Monday and Wednesday compared to the rest of the days. However, on the last trading day, i.e. Friday currencies observe an appreciation pattern which is for both economies. The results have an evidence of leverage and asymmetric effect confirmed by the E-GARCH model as a result of press releases and influence by micro-factors in the currency markets. Practical implications The study believes to have theoretical connection related to the better understanding of currencies trend for developed and emerging economies, as the IDW effect exists. Moreover, confirmation of both the leverage and asymmetric effect in observed currencies would be able to assist the investors in making rational choices during the trading hours and would confirm considerable profits through profit incentivized strategies. Originality value The study not only add knowledge to the previous study work in relation to the hourly trading pattern of currencies with reference to the IDW effects but also highlights the leverage and asymmetric effect in currencies that will help in formulating future trading strategies particular to emerging economies.

Information search in times of market uncertainty: an examination of aggregate and disaggregate uncertainty

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall A. Geiger ◽  
Rajib Hasan ◽  
Abdullah Kumas ◽  
Joyce van der Laan Smith
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
Individual Investor ◽  
Market Uncertainty ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Demand ◽  
Google Search

PurposeThis study explores the association between individual investor information demand and two measures of market uncertainty – aggregate market uncertainty and disaggregate industry-specific market uncertainty. It extends the literature by being the first to empirically examine investor information demand and disaggregate market uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThis paper constructs a measure of information search by using the Google Search Volume Index and computes measures of aggregate and disaggregate market uncertainty using institutional investors' trading data from Ancerno Ltd. The relation between market uncertainty, as measured by trading disagreements among institutional investors, and information search is analyzed using an OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression model.FindingsThis paper finds that individual investor information demand is significantly and positively correlated with aggregate market uncertainty but not associated with disaggregated industry uncertainty. The findings suggest that individual investors may not fully incorporate all relevant uncertainty information and that ambiguity-related market pricing anomalies may be more associated with disaggregate market uncertainty.Research limitations/implicationsThis study presents an examination of aggregate and disaggregate measures of market uncertainty and individual investor demand for information, shedding light on the efficiency of the market in incorporating information. A limitation of our study is that our data for market uncertainty is based on investor trading disagreement from Ancerno, Ltd. which is only available till 2011. However, we believe the implications are generalizable to the current time period.Practical implicationsThis study provides the first concurrent empirical assessment of investor information search and aggregate and disaggregate market uncertainty. Prior research has separately examined information demand in these two types of market uncertainty. Thus, this study provides information to investors regarding the importance of assessing disaggregate component measures of the market.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to empirically examine investor information search and disaggregate market uncertainty. It also employs a unique data set and method to determine disaggregate, and aggregate, market uncertainty.

scholarly journals Board structure and institutional ownership at the time of IPO

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 950-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suman Neupane ◽  
Biwesh Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Holdings ◽  
Foreign Institutional Investors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of mandatory regulatory provisions on board structure and the influence of such board structure on institutional holdings. Design/methodology/approach The study uses unique hand-collected data set of Indian IPOs during the 2004-2012 period after the corporate governance reforms with the introduction of clause 49 in the listing agreements in 2001. Using OLS regression, the paper empirically analyses the determinants of board size and board independence at the time of the IPOs and the influence of such a board structure on shareholdings by domestic and foreign institutional investors. Findings The authors find that complying with mandatory regulatory provisions does not impede firms from structuring their boards to reflect the firms’ advising and monitoring needs. The authors also find that complying with provisions have positive implication for the firm, as firms with greater board independence appear to attract more foreign institutional investors. Originality/value To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study to examine the issue in a regime where regulation mandates the composition of the board of directors. The paper also extends the literature on institutional holdings by providing evidence on the impact of board structure on institutional ownership at a critical time in a firm’s life cycle when concerns for endogeneity for empirical investigations are weaker.

Large institutional investors and the pressure to manage earnings surrounding seasoned equity offerings

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-420
Author(s):  
Mouna Njah ◽  
Raoudha Trabelsi
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Seasoned Equity Offerings ◽  
Equity Offerings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multivariate Tests ◽  
Regulated Firms ◽  
Investor Activism

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the monitoring role exerted by large institutional investors and their ability to restrict the earnings management practices conducted around seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). Design/methodology/approach The sample includes 130 French SEOs by non-regulated firms during 2004-2015. The authors used various cross-section, univariate and multivariate tests using several proxies for earnings management. They attempt to highlight that firms issuing SEOs are more able to manage earnings around SEOs owing to the predominance of large speculative institutional investors. Noteworthy, the monitoring role exerted by sophisticated institutional investors turns out to restrict the earnings management opportunities surrounding a SEOs event. Findings The results show that the issuing firms tend to manipulate earnings in an upward trend with respect to the year preceding the SEO offer. Thus, a special attention has been drawn on the fact that the issuing companies strive to prove their ability to manage earnings around SEOs in presence of large speculative institutional investors. Practical implications The results provide useful insights into the role different types of institutional investors play in terms of enhancing both governance and accounting information quality. Originality/value This paper adds to the literature questioning the evidence that institutional investor activism frequently engage in misleading earnings management around corporate events. The authors provide an alternative explanation for earnings management around SEOs in the French context.

scholarly journals Is CSR performance related to disclosure tone in earnings announcements?

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-147
Author(s):  
Yu Lu ◽  
Steven Cahan ◽  
Diandian Ma
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Earnings Announcements ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sensitivity Tests ◽  
Disclosure Tone ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to examine whether the disclosure tone in earnings announcements is related to a firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Design/methodology/approach Considering the lower likelihood of earnings management conducted by CSR-conscious firms, and the significant market impact of the tone of disclosure in the earnings announcements, the study investigates whether firms with good CSR performance attempt to influence investors’ judgements through “soft information” and, thus, produce earnings announcements with more positive tone. Specifically, it examines whether CSR performance is positively related to the optimistic disclosure tone in earnings announcements. Findings The study finds that more socially responsible firms exhibit a more optimistic tone in earnings announcements. The findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests and data from different years. Furthermore, the study finds that the positive association between CSR performance and disclosure tone in the earnings announcement is particularly apparent in the manufacturing industry. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the literature in multiple ways. Practical implications These findings should assist regulators in better understanding the verbal components in earnings announcements. Social implications It is possible that firms might opportunistically engage in CSR activities to enhance their social image to exaggerate financial performance and influence investors’ 2019 decisions. Originality/value These results show that CSR performance is positively associated with the optimistic tone in earnings announcements. The findings are consistent with two alternative interpretations. First, even though CSR-conscious firms are unlikely to engage in earnings management, they may engage a more subtle form of impressions/tone management. Second, firms with better CSR performance may have better financial performance, and thus are more confident and optimistic, resulting in a more positive tone in their earnings announcements. As the study controls for financial performance and find a positive relation between CSR concerns and optimism in earnings announcements, it favors the previous explanation.

Executive pay bandwagon and stock price crash risk

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Luo ◽  
Junfeng Wu ◽  
Wan Huang ◽  
Yongliang Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Executive Pay ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of executives’ self-interested behaviors induced by the pay bandwagon on stock price crash risk in Chinese listed firms and attempt to shed light on the influencing channels of this effect. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis is based on the panel data set which contains information on the executives and stock price of 11,710 firm-year observations over the period 2007–2015. The multiple linear regression models are implemented to examine whether the executive pay bandwagon affects corporate future stock price crash risk. Then, earnings management, tax avoidance and overinvestment are applied as the behavior choice of executive pay bandwagon to analyze the potential influencing channels. Findings Results indicate that the lower the executives’ pay is than the median pay level of executives in firms of similar size and industry, incentives of pay bandwagon are stronger, leading to a higher future stock price crash risk. Moreover, evidence shows that the positive relationship between executive pay bandwagon and crash risk is attenuated when firms have strong external monitoring mechanisms such as Big Four auditors, cross-listing in the Hong Kong stock exchange, high marketization process and high institutional ownership. Then, some weak evidence supports that internal governance such as internal control plays the same moderating role. In addition, based on the path test, the stock price crash effect of the executive pay bandwagon has a complete tax avoidance intermediary effect and a partial earnings management intermediary effect. Originality/value This study contributes to the executive compensation literature from a psychological perspective on the economic consequences research brought about by the pay bandwagon for China’s listed firms. Moreover, this paper provides a supplement to the literature on factors which is completely different from previous studies that affect the future stock price crash risk.

Institutional investors, monitoring and corporate finance policies

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Sean Cleary ◽  
Jun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Finance ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Cash Holdings ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Corporate Policies ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of institutional investors’ investment horizons (IIIH) on a wide variety of key corporate policies. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform regression analysis to a panel data set of quarterly financial statement data for US firms over the 1981-2014 using several measures of IIIH. Findings The authors argue that an increase in the presence of long-term investors contributes to more effective monitoring and information quality. This results in a reduction in agency costs and informational asymmetry problems for firms that are more heavily influenced by long-term investors, which in turn influences the corporate policies they pursue. Consistent with these arguments, the evidence suggests that firms with a greater long-term institutional investor base maintain lower investment outlays, higher dividend payments, lower levels of cash and higher levels of leverage. All results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity issues. Originality/value The authors show that a greater presence of long-term institutional investors leads to higher dividends, lower investment outlays, lower cash holdings and higher leverage. The comprehensive nature of the predictions with respect to overall corporate finance policies and the supporting evidence provided represents an important contribution, as previous studies have tended to focus on one specific area of corporate behavior (i.e. such as cash holdings).

scholarly journals Does earnings surprise determine the timing of the earnings announcement? Evidence from earnings announcements of Indian companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-134
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad ◽  
Nandan Prabhu
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Announcements ◽  
Earnings Announcement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quarterly Earnings ◽  
Earnings Surprise ◽  
Market Responses ◽  
Earnings Surprises ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Reported Earnings

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether the earnings surprise influences decision to make earnings announcements during or after the trading hours is influenced by the earnings surprise resulting from the difference between consensus earnings estimates and the actual reported earnings.Design/methodology/approachEvent study methodology was employed to test the hypotheses relating to earnings surprise and timing of earnings announcements. Twelve quarterly earnings announcements of 30 companies, drawn from BSE SENSEX of India, were studied to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe study has found statistically significant differences in the market responses to the earnings announcements made during and after the trading hours. The market demonstrated a negative response to the earnings announcements made after the trading hours. Further, the results of the logistic regression have shown that the presence of significant earnings surprises is likely to induce firms to make earnings announcements after the trading hours. The results indicate that those firms that intend to reduce the overreaction and underreaction to earnings surprises are likely to make earnings announcements after the trading hours.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the market response to the earnings announcement made during and after the regular trading hour. Further, the paper examines if the earnings surprise influences the decision to announce the results.

Institutional investor management of Australian healthcare property assets as a pandemic-proof asset class

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jufri Marzuki ◽  
Graeme Newell
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Institutional Investor ◽  
Investment Strategy ◽  
Portfolio Diversification ◽  
Portfolio Optimisation ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Asset Class

PurposeAs the prolonged effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has materially impacted investment returns significantly, it is more crucial than ever for institutional investors to redefine their property portfolios using assets with better investment management potential and meaningful diversification benefits. The “alternative asset revolution” is gaining traction in the property investment space internationally among institutional investors due to the shifting investment attitudes towards the alternative property sectors. Australia's $205bn healthcare property sector is at the forefront of this revolution due to its societal significance, as well as its attractive investment qualities. This paper investigates the institutional investor management of the Australian healthcare property sector via both the direct and listed channels and empirically analyses its investment attributes.Design/methodology/approachUsing the unique Morgan Stanley Capital International/Property Council of Australia quarterly data set for Australian direct healthcare property over 2006–2020, the risk-adjusted performance and portfolio diversification potential direct healthcare property and listed healthcare were assessed. A constrained mean-variance portfolio optimisation framework was used to develop a six-asset portfolio scenario to analyse the portfolio added-value benefits of both direct healthcare property and listed healthcare in a mixed-asset investment strategy. A similar set of analysis was performed using the post-global financial crisis (GFC) quarterly time series of 2009–2020 to investigate the healthcare asset class' performance dynamics in the post-GFC investment timeframe.FindingsThe results indicate that direct healthcare property and listed healthcare offer two key advantages for institutional investors in managing their property portfolios: (1) a stable yet superior risk-adjusted performance and (2) significant portfolio diversification potential in managing their property portfolios. Importantly, both direct healthcare property and listed healthcare provided valuable contributions in strengthening an investment portfolio's performance. The post-GFC sub-period analysis revealed a consistent conclusion regarding the healthcare asset class's performance attributes.Originality/valueThis is the first research that provides an independent empirical examination of the strategic importance of Australian healthcare property as a maturing alternative property sector that can serve both investment and environmental, social and governance goals of investors. This research presents a positive investment prognosis for the Australian healthcare property sector to achieve its institutionalised status as a mainstream asset class of the future.

Does the IFRS improve earnings quality? A comparison of Turkish GAAP and IFRS

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aydın Karapınar ◽  
Figen Zaif
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose The purpose of this study is to reveal the effect on earnings quality of switching to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from Turkish generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) by comparing two sets of financial statements based on Turkish GAAP and IFRS. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on mathematical modeling. The variables (total assets, net income, total accruals, cash receivables, return on assets and size) in the models are core to the quantitative research that examines the relationship between them. In this study, the total accruals are computed based on the indirect approach, and the prediction error of the model represents discretionary accruals that reflect earnings management. The data set includes financial data prepared under IFRS and Turkish GAAP. The univariate and multivariate analyses are conducted by SPSS. Findings The results of this study indicate that IFRS does not cause any significant differences in total assets, but the net income under IFRS is larger compared to that under the Turkish GAAP. It is also found that while there is no significant difference in total accruals, there is a difference in discretionary accruals. In other words, Turkish firms use income-reducing discretionary accruals when adopting IFRS. Originality/value This study provides more insights into the effect of IFRS on earnings quality. It also provides evidence of the effect of accounting culture on IFRS adoption. As a code-law country in Turkey, publicly traded firms have to prepare financial statements based on both Turkish GAAP, which is rule-based and restricts management decisions with strict rules, and the principle-based IFRS which leaves more room to manipulate. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that reveals the effect of accounting standards on earnings management by comparing two sets of financials of the same period prepared under different standards.

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