Analysts' Information Acquisition and Stock Price Synchronicity: A Regulatory Perspective from China

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Jiang ◽  
Donghua Zhou ◽  
Joseph H. Zhang

SYNOPSIS Against the backdrop of the Chinese Directive 40 (China's Reg FD) issued in 2007 as an attempt to curb insider trading and to level the information playing field, this study investigates whether analysts' private information acquisition influences the extent to which firm-specific information is impounded into stock prices, i.e., stock price synchronicity, and how the restrictions on selective disclosures imposed by Directive 40 have shaped the relationship between analyst information acquisition and synchronicity. Using a pre-Directive 40 sample, we show that synchronicity is negatively related to analysts' private information acquisition, which provides support for the “information advantage” argument of analysts' information production. However, the ability of analysts' private information acquisition in improving firm-specific information incorporated into stock price is mitigated post-Directive 40 due to a restriction on selective disclosures and/or private communication. Moreover, we find that this regulatory impact varies for firms being followed by affiliated analysts versus non-affiliated analysts. JEL Classifications: G14; G15; G17; G18.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 829-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Feng ◽  
Ahsan Habib ◽  
Gao liang Tian

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between aggressive tax planning and stock price synchronicity. Design/methodology/approach Employing the special institutional background of China, this study constructs tax aggressiveness and stock price synchronicity measures for a large sample of Chinese stocks spanning the period 2003–2015. The authors employ OLS regression as the baseline methodology, and a fixed effect model, the Fama–Macbeth method and GMM as sensitivity checks. Matched samples and difference-in-difference analyses are used to control for endogeneity. Findings The authors find a significant and positive association between aggressive tax planning and stock price synchronicity. Because material information about risky tax transactions tends to be hidden in various tax accruals accounts, aggressive tax strategies make financial statements less transparent, thereby, increasing information asymmetry and decreasing stock price informativeness. The authors also find that the firms engaging in aggressive tax planning exhibit relatively high corporate opacity. In addition, the authors find that improvements in the tax enforcement regime, ownership status and high-quality auditors all constrain the adverse effects of tax aggressiveness. Practical implications This study has important practical implications for China’s regulators, who are striving to reduce the tax burden of enterprises. It also helps investors to consider investment decisions more appropriately from a taxation perspective. Originality/value First, this paper contributes to the stock price efficiency literature by identifying the effect of a hitherto unexamined factor, namely, firm-level aggressive tax planning, on the efficiency of stock prices. Second, this study provides further empirical evidence to support the agency view of tax aggressiveness, and the informational interpretation of stock price synchronicity. Third, this study helps us better understand the effects of firm-level tax policy on firm-specific information capitalization in an environment where overall country-level investor protection is relatively weak.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donghua Zhou ◽  
Yujie Zhao ◽  
Philip T Lin ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Adrian (Waikong) Cheung

We study the relationship between stock price synchronicity and information disclosure of firms listed in the Chinese stock market, using hand-collected data on firms’ official microblogging content in Sina Weibo, a popular microblogging service in China. We find that after controlling for the impact of traditional media, the number of Weibo tweets is related negatively to stock price synchronicity, indicating that stock prices incorporate firm-specific information disclosed in the firm’s official Weibo. Number of microblogging fans can strengthen this negative relationship. Our result is robust to alternative measures of stock price synchronicity, microblogging information disclosure, and to endogeneity issues. JEL Classification: G14, G15


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Anita Todea

Abstract This paper examines the impact of financial literacy on stock price informativeness in a sample of firms from 20 countries. Using four measures of stock price informativeness, we find a significant relationship between higher financial literacy and higher stock price informativeness. The individual investors’ contribution regarding the incorporation of specific information into stock prices includes private information also and not mere specific information in the general sense. Financial knowledge is the key element that helps individual investors to incorporate specific information into stock prices.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0000-0000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongtae Kim ◽  
Lixin (Nancy) Su ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Haibin Wu

We exploit the staggered recognition of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine (IDD) by US state courts to examine the effect of trade-secret protection on the amount of firm-specific information incorporated in stock prices, as reflected in stock price synchronicity. We find that after certain state courts recognize the IDD, firms headquartered in those states exhibit a significant increase in stock price synchronicity relative to firms in other states. We also find a significant decrease in the disclosure of proprietary information in the firms' 10-K reports. These results suggest that IDD recognition increases the proprietary cost of disclosure, and, in response, corporate managers withhold more information. In addition, we find that the increase in stock price synchronicity and the decrease in the disclosure of proprietary information lead to increases in the firm's market share, cost of equity, and market-to-book ratio, suggesting that managers sacrifice capital market benefits for product market gains.


Author(s):  
Archana Patro

In China, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have become mandatory for listed firms in 2007. While earlier research on “voluntary” adopters has provided valuable insights on the impact of IFRS disclosure, these results cannot be generalised in a mandatory setting. We expect effects from mandatory IFRS adoption to be different from those documented for voluntary IFRS adopters since the former group is essentially forced to adopt IFRS. The empirical model, relating to stock price synchronicity with adoption of IFRS, and other firm-specific control variables were analysed using both univariate and multivariate techniques. Different types of panel data estimates were used and compared so as to interpret the results with the best-suited parameters for different data sets for different markets. Studying data covering the period from 2001-2013, the present study examines whether mandatory adoption of IFRS reduces Stock Price Synchronicity for Chinese firms. The empirical results show that IFRS adoption improves information environment by the capitalization of firm-specific information into stock prices, thereby reduces the Stock Price synchronicity. The paper further examines if the information impact was homogeneous across industries. This pattern of decrease in stock price synchronicity after adoption of IFRS is different for different industries taken for analysis. Aerospace & Defense, Automobiles Beverages, Metals & Mining, Retailer& Real Estate Operations have reduced synchronicity but other industries such as Biotech, Electric utilities, Electronic, Leisure products, Renewable energy and Telecom have increased synchronicity. For these industries, the low reliance on market wide information makes reasonable economic sense because they have relatively low demand elasticity. Hence, in demand inelastic industries, future price sensitive factors remain constant and so a changed IFRS accounting regime has little marginal impact. This study provides a different methodological approach by concentrating on Industry wide information effects from the mandatory adoption. These findings have important implications that apply not only to China, but also to other emerging and transitional economies such as India where IFRS is yet to be mandated. Moreover it will help regulators, academicians and practitioners to assess the informational benefit of adopting IFRS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Bruno Figlioli ◽  
Rafael Moreira Antônio ◽  
Fabiano Guasti Lima

This study examines whether the stock prices reflet the relevant information on the companies´current and potential credit ratings. This investigation was carried out from the construct of stock price synchronicity, that is, the more the stock prices reflect the specific information of a certain company, the less the synchronicity of these prices in relation to the market general information tends to be. It would imply that the stock prices tend to be more informative on the companies´potential in generating future economic benefit and on their risk levels. For carrying out this study, information on the companies which have their shares listed at the Brazilian Stock Exchange (Brazil, Stock Exchange and Over-the-counter – B3) from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed. The results obtained point that the stock prices not only embody information on the alterations of the companies´s current credit ratings regarding the upgrade, but also reflect, with certain antecipation, the potential credit ratings. Nevertheless, the results indicate that not every credit rating class is associated with relevant information for the capital market.


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