Valuation Uncertainty and Short-Sales Constraints: Evidence from the IPO Aftermarket

We use the initial public offering (IPO) setting to provide evidence that the combination of valuation uncertainty and short-sales constraints generates significant equity market mispricing. The IPOs that we predict to be most susceptible to overpricing in the immediate aftermarket have first-day returns of +47% and lockup expiration returns of [Formula: see text]9%. Our detailed analysis of securities lending market data confirms that these IPOs experience severe short-sales constraints that peak around the lockup expiration. Our paper both explains the anomalous pricing of IPOs and highlights the importance of valuation uncertainty and short-sales constraints in explaining equity mispricing. This paper was accepted by Brian Bushee, accounting.

The Effects of Financial Derivatives on Earnings Management and Market Mispricing

This study aims to examine the effects of financial derivatives on earnings management and market mispricing. A cross-country analysis was applied within the scope of four ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries that comply with IAS 39, consisting of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. A sample of 1,395 firm-years of companies using financial derivatives were engaged for study and the evidence shows that the use of financial derivatives for hedging purposes decreases the magnitude of the earnings management. In addition, this study also supports the idea that earnings expectations embedded in the stock returns of companies using financial derivatives, that meet the hedge accounting criteria, reflect the difference in the persistence of cash flow components more accurately than those using financial derivatives for speculative purposes.