Investor Reaction to Auditors' Going Concern Emphasis of Matter: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Bédard ◽  
Carl Brousseau ◽  
Ann Vanstraelen
Keyword(s):  
Trading Volume ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Regulatory Change ◽  
Price Response ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Incremental Value ◽  
Investor Reaction

SUMMARY Using a “natural experiment” provided by a change in Canadian auditing standards requiring an emphasis of matter paragraph in the auditor's report (GC-EOM) when the financial statements include a going concern uncertainty disclosure (GC-FS), this paper examines the incremental investor reaction to the auditor's report over the related GC-FS. Conditioning on the linguistic severity of the GC-FS (weak and severe), we first document a negative price response to severe but not to weak GC-FS before the regulatory change. This implies that investors react to financial statement disclosures and account for their degree of interpretability in the absence of a GC-EOM. When the uncertainty disclosure is accompanied by a GC-EOM, we find incremental negative abnormal returns and lower abnormal trading volume only for weak GC-FS. Collectively, these findings imply that an emphasis of matter paragraph in the auditor's report can have incremental value to investors. JEL Classifications: M42; G12; G14. Data Availability: Data used are available from public sources identified in the study.

Dividend Initiations by High-Tech Firms

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 201-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lacina ◽  
Zhaohui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Cumulative Abnormal Returns ◽  
Dividend Initiations ◽  
Volume Reaction ◽  
Abnormal Trading Volume ◽  
Investor Reaction

We study the stock price and trading volume reactions to dividend initiations by high-tech firms relative to those by non-high tech firms. We find significant positive cumulative abnormal returns and abnormal trading volume for both high-tech and non-high tech firms surrounding dividend initiations. However, when we control for variables such as size and dividend yield, stock returns and trading volume around dividend initiations are higher for high-tech firms than for non-high tech firms. We also find evidence that stock returns and trading volume for high-tech firms are higher with increases in liquid assets, although the volume reaction to increases in liquid assets is stronger than the return reaction, perhaps indicating clientele shifts. Overall, our findings convey stronger investor reaction to dividend initiations by high-tech firms, especially those with sufficient liquid assets.

The Market Impact of Mandatory Interactive Data: Evidence from Bank Regulatory XBRL Filings

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizhong Hao ◽  
Mark J. Kohlbeck
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Systematic Risk ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Abnormal Behavior ◽  
Market Impact ◽  
Data Format ◽  
Interactive Data ◽  
Additional Support

ABSTRACT We investigate the market impact of banks filing regulatory reports using eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) interactive data format. Specifically, we examine whether stock returns and trading volume exhibit abnormal behavior when banks are first required to file Call Reports in XBRL format and whether XBRL adoption causes a shift in systematic risk. We find that banks experienced significant positive abnormal returns and a subsequent reduction in systematic risk in connection with filing their regulatory reports in XBRL. Our results are more pronounced for larger banks. Our trading volume analysis provides additional support of increases in trading volume (primarily with respect to larger banks) at the time of XBRL adoption. We, therefore, document investor-based benefits in support of the conversion to mandatory XBRL filing requirements. Data Availability: The data used in this study are available from sources indicated in the paper.

Accelerated Filing Deadlines, Internal Controls, and Financial Statement Quality: The Case of Originating Misstatements

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Boland ◽  
Scott N. Bronson ◽  
Chris E. Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Similar Increase ◽  
Section 404 ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Rule Change ◽  
Initial Decrease

SYNOPSIS We examine whether regulations requiring accelerated filing deadlines and internal control reporting and testing affect financial statement reliability. Unlike prior research, we examine whether these regulatory changes are associated with an increase in the likelihood that misstatements originate in the period following the respective change. If the implementation of these rules causes a misstatement, then the misstatement would most likely occur in the period immediately following the rule change. We provide evidence that accelerated filers (AFs) experience an increase in the likelihood of an originating misstatement following the acceleration of filing deadlines from 90 to 75 days. Large accelerated filers (LAFs), however, do not experience a similar increase following this acceleration or the subsequent acceleration from 75 to 60 days. After the implementation of the SOX Section 404 internal control requirements, we find that the likelihood of an originating misstatement declined for AFs but not for LAFs. Taken together, the findings suggest that, although AFs experienced an initial decrease in financial statement reliability, this decrease was temporary. Data Availability: Data are publicly available from the sources identified in the text.

The Effect of Acquirer Net Operating Losses on Acquisition Premiums and Acquirer Abnormal Returns

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-124
Author(s):  
Merle M. Erickson ◽  
Karen Ton ◽  
Shiing-wu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Price Response ◽  
Transaction Prices ◽  
Merger Announcement ◽  
Tax Benefits

ABSTRACT This study examines whether acquirer NOL-related tax benefits generated in an acquisition are shared with the target. For a sample of 1,959 acquisitions, we find that acquisitions of profitable targets by acquirers with NOLs are associated with higher acquisition premiums than acquisitions by non-NOL acquirers. This result indicates that potential post-acquisition tax benefits from use of acquirer NOLs are shared with the target in the form of higher transaction prices. We also find that the acquirer's merger announcement stock price response is positively associated with these tax benefits, which is consistent with the conclusion that acquirers retain part of these potential tax benefits.

Workplace Mindfulness and its Effect on Staff Auditors' Audit Quality-Threatening Behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Herda ◽  
Nathan H. Cannon ◽  
Randall F. Young
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Work Setting ◽  
Effective Technique ◽  
Staff Level

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of staff auditors' workplace mindfulness on premature sign-off—a serious audit quality-threatening behavior that can go undetected through the review process. We also examine whether supervisor coaching is an effective means to engender workplace mindfulness. Using a sample of 115 auditors, we predict and find that (1) auditors who are coached by supervisors to appreciate the importance of their work to external financial statement users are more likely to be mindful in their work setting, and (2) greater workplace mindfulness about financial statement user considerations is associated with a reduced likelihood of auditor sign-off on an audit procedure not completed. We also find that supervisor coaching has an indirect effect on premature sign-off through workplace mindfulness. The results underscore the importance of workplace mindfulness in reducing audit quality-threatening behavior and indicate that supervisor coaching may be an effective technique in eliciting mindfulness among staff-level auditors. Data Availability: Contact the authors.

scholarly journals Exchange Listing Changes: Volatility and Liquidity Effects in Taiwan

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lloyd P. Blenman ◽  
Dar-Hsin Chen ◽  
Chang-Wen Duan
Keyword(s):  
Trading Volume ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Relative Volatility ◽  
The Past ◽  
Listing Change ◽  
The Rose

We examine the volatility, liquidity and returns effects on stocks that switch exchange listings from the ROSE to the TSE in Taiwan from 1992 to 2000. Switching firms earn statistically positive returns before the transfer day and earn statistically negative returns after that day. We find evidence of improved liquidity, ownership dispersion and actual trading volume for such firms. The relative volatility of trading volume, compared against the firms’ own histories, and volatility of returns also increase after a listing change. We show that increased trading volume and liquidity are associated with the abnormal returns around the transfer date. We find no evidence that the past earnings of firms significantly affect the abnormal returns realized in the post-listing period.  

scholarly journals MARKET REACTION ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF SRI KEHATI INDEX IN INDONESIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anggita Langgeng Wijaya ◽  
Mia Noviyanti ◽  
Probo Mahayu
Keyword(s):  
Trading Volume ◽  
Market Reaction ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Stock Trading ◽  
Population Sampling ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Signed Rank Test

The purpose of this study was to test the market reaction to the announcement of the Sri Kehati Index on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The population in this study is all companies included in the Sri Kehati Index from 2013 to 2016. The selection of samples was taken by the population sampling method. Hypothesis testing is done by paired t test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings of this research are: 1) there is no difference in abnormal returns before and after the announcement of the Sri Kehati Index on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. 2) There is a difference in the activity of stock trading volume before and after the announcement of the Sri Kehati index in the 5th and 6th periods, but there is no difference in the activity of stock trading volume in other periods. The Indonesia Stock Exchange did not react consistently to the announcement of the Sri Kehati Index.

PCAOB Inspections and Large Accounting Firms

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan K. Church ◽  
Lori B. Shefchik
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Over Time

SYNOPSIS The purpose of this paper is to analyze the PCAOB's inspection reports of large, annually inspected accounting firms. The inspection reports identify audit deficiencies that have implications for audit quality. By examining the inspection reports in detail, we can identify the nature and severity of audit deficiencies; we can track the total number of deficiencies over time; and we can pinpoint common, recurring audit deficiencies. We focus on large accounting firms because they play a dominant role in the marketplace (i.e., they audit public companies that comprise approximately 99 percent of U.S.-based issuer market capitalization). We document a significant, downward linear trend in the number of deficiencies from 2004 to 2009. We also identify common, recurring audit deficiencies, determine the financial statement accounts most often impacted by audit deficiencies, and isolate the primary emphasis of the financial statement impacted. Our findings generally are consistent comparing Big 4 and second-tier accounting firms, though a few differences emerge. In addition, we make comparisons with findings that have been documented for small, triennially inspected firms. Data Availability: The data are available from public sources.

Are Short Sellers Informed? Evidence from the Bond Market

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 611-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambrus Kecskés ◽  
Sattar A. Mansi ◽  
Andrew (Jianzhong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Equity Market ◽  
Bond Market ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Yield Spreads ◽  
Short Sellers ◽  
Bond Yield ◽  
Lehman Brothers ◽  
Short Interest

ABSTRACT We examine whether short sellers in the equity market provide valuable information to investors in the bond market. Using a sample of publicly traded bond data covering the period from 1988 to 2011, we find that firms with high short interest have lower credit ratings and are more likely to have their ratings downgraded. We also find that firms with highly shorted stocks are associated with higher bond yield spreads (about 24 basis points). Evidence of causality from short interest spikes and a natural experiment based on the SEC's Regulation SHO pilot program confirms our findings. Overall, our results suggest that equity short sellers provide predictive information to creditors in the bond market. JEL Classifications: G12; G14. Data Availability:  Data are publicly available from the sources identified in the study with the exception of the bond data from Lehman Brothers, which is a proprietary dataset.

The impact of qualified audit opinion on stock returns: an empirical study at Amman stock exchange

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Bayo Flees ◽  
Sulaiman Mouselli
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Audit Opinions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of qualified audit opinions on the returns of stocks listed at Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) after the introduction of the recent amendments by the International Auditing and Assurance Standard Board (IAASB) on audits reporting and conclusions. It further investigates if results differ between first time qualified and sequenced qualifications, and between plain qualified opinion and qualifications with going concern. Design/methodology/approach Audit opinions’ announcements and stock returns data are collected from companies’ annual reports for the fiscal years 2016 to 2019 while stock returns are computed from stock closing prices published at ASE website. The authors apply the event study approach and use the market model to calculate normal returns. Cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) and average abnormal returns (AARs) are computed for all qualified audit opinions’ announcements. Findings The empirical evidence suggests that investors at ASE do not react to qualified audit opinions announcements. That is, the authors find an insignificant impact of qualified audit opinion announcements on stock returns using both CAR and AAR estimates. The results are robust to first time and sequenced qualifications, and for qualifications with going concern. Results are also robust to the use of risk adjusted market model. Research limitations/implications The insignificant impact of qualified audit opinions on stock returns have two potential conflicting research implications. First, the new amendments introduced to auditors’ report made them more informative and reduce the negative signals contained in the qualified opinions. That is, investors are now aware of the real causes of qualifications and not overreacting to the qualified opinion. Second, the documented insignificant impact confirms that ASE is not a semi-strong form efficient. Practical implications The apparent excessive use of qualifications should ring the bell on whether auditors misuse their power or companies are really in trouble. Hence, the Jordanian regulatory bodies need to warn auditors against the excessive use of qualifications on the one hand, and to raise the awareness of investors on the implications of auditors’ opinions on the other hand. Originality/value This study is innovative in twofold. First, it explores the impact of qualified audit opinions on stock returns after the introduction of new amendments by IAASB at ASE. In addition, it uses event study approach and distinguishes between first time qualified and sequenced qualifications, and between plain qualified opinion and qualifications with going concern. The results are consistent with efficient market theory and behavioral finance explanations.

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