什么决定了利润差异:会计准则还是职业判断?——来自中国A、B股市场的初步证据

我国资本市场有少量的公司同时发行A股和B股,这部分公司需要提供两套财务报表,分别遵循了国内会计准则和国际会计准则。我们以我国会计制度改革的特定时期(1998-2000)为背景,以同时发行A、B 股的公司为样本,经过研究发现,那些同时发行A、B股公司所报告的净利润差异,主要不是来自会计准则,而是来自于会计职业判断;而会计职业判断背后的经济动机在于上市公司为了达到保牌的目的。我们的研究丰富了有关会计准则与会计信息质量之间关系的研究。     

中外会计准则差异的实证研究

根据我国《公司法》和国际资本市场的惯例，公开发行A股和B股(或H股)的上市公司，每年既要公布按我国会计准则编制的会计报表，还需披露按国际会计准则编制的会计报表，并在报表附注中说明境内外报表差异的具体项目及其对净利润和净资产的影响。因此，以A、B(H)股公司境内外报表中的净利润差异为基础，比较研究中国     

A股报表与B股报表差异的分析

在上海证券交易所挂牌上市并同时发行A股股票和B股股票的企业，根据国家有关规定，在披露其定期财务报告时，除应按《股份有限公司会计制度》和《企业会计准则》编制A股报表供我国境内投资者阅读，并作为股份公司的法定会计报表外，还应同时披露依据国际会计准则编制的B股会计报表供境外投资者阅读，按不同的会计准则编制的两份报表之间存在差异时，还应披露差异的项目和产生差异的原因，以备投资者充分，全面地了解企业真实的财务信息，由于两种会计制度，会计政策，会计准则的种种差异，导致A，B股会计报表在资产，负债，股东权益，收入，费用，利润等方面存在差异，这些差异有的仅影响资产，负债的分类，有的则通过影响公司的净利润，影响到公司的净资产，对投资者而言，更应关注的是影响净资产的那些差异。     

改进审计目标的设想——由上市公司净利润境内外差异离谱榜引发的思考

一、从上市公司净利润境内外差异离谱榜谈起 我国上市公司信息披露实施细则规定，同时发行A股和B股的上市公司在年末要同时公布按我国会计准则和按国际财务报告准则编制的会计报表。所以，由于两个准则之间存在有差异，必然也就会导致按这两个准则计算出的净利润会存在数额上的不同。     

A+H股公司境内外会计准则差异分析

本文从兖州煤业公司2016年年报披露的"境内外会计准则下的会计数据差异"入手,对部分A+H股企业多个报表项目在中国和国际会计准则下会计处理不同所导致的差异进行分析,并从会计准则趋同的角度提出相关建议。     

公允价值的价值相关性:B股公司的证据

本文研究了B股公司按国际会计准则第39号(IAS39)披露公允价值的股价反映,以及公允价值揭示对会计信息价值相关性的影响。本研究发现,公允价值披露显著地增加了会计盈余的价值相关性。按公允价值计量的投资持有利得(损失)具有较弱的增量解释能力。而投资的公允价值调整没有显示出价值相关性。公允价值调整及持有利得(损失)对股价的影响存在差异,原因可能在于我国投资者对盈余的关注程度要高于对账面净值的关注程度。公允价值调整及持有利得(损失)缺乏很强的价值相关性的原因在于,公允价值存在计量误差,而投资者也看穿了这一计量误差。     

最新企业会计准则动态与实施研究

自2007年新的企业会计准则执行以后,打破了以往的会计信息披露规范,扩大了会计信息披露的范围,强调了会计信息应当真实与公允兼具,然而在会计准则国际趋同背景下,我国新会计准则在制定过程中大量的借鉴了国际会计准则.目前我们采用的新准则与国际会计准则相比存在着很小的差异,新准则实施三年来,是否与我国国情完全吻合,有无水土不服的现象;企业作为信息披露方能否顺应新准则作出相应反应和对策;新准则的变化是否存在某些容易被不良利用的地方成为某些企业进行会计操纵和业绩粉饰的工具;新准则在实施过程中还有哪些难点,这些问题是本文关注的方向.对这些问题进行研究既能掌握新准则在执行过程中的难点和漏洞,也能为财政部会计准则的修订提供建设性建议.     

存货会计准则变迁的趋势和动因分析

面临国际经济一体化的大趋势,我国制定的各项准则也应该与国际接轨,方便企业对会计信息的披露。2006年颁布了新的会计准则体系,从颁布的时间看,我国迄今为止发布过的会计准则体系均是在国际会计准则作修订之后发布的,可以认为,我国的准则是在充分考虑了我国国情和国际会计准则的基础上借鉴国际会计准则制定出来的。为了进一步认识我国存货准则在国际化过程中的内在规律,存货会计准则变迁的趋势和动因分析就显得十分必要和意义重大。显而易见,会计准则的国际协调化是大趋势,这在存货准则的变迁中体现得非常明确。     

分割资本市场下的会计信息价值研究

本文采用事件研究和面板数据回归方法对我国A股～H股双重上市公司境内外报表披露的会计盈余和帐面净值与股票超额收益的相关性进行了研究。分析表明,在A股市场上,境内报表披露的会计盈余等信息与A股超额收益之间没有显著的价值相关性;境内外报表关于会计盈余和账面净值的调整值对A股价格也没有影响;在H股市场,会计信息与股价之间的相关性较强,不仅境外报表披露的主要会计指标能够有效解释年报披露期间H股超额收益,而且境内外报表的会计盈余和账面净值调整值还具有增量信息价值。由此我们认为中国内地资本市场与香港资本市场的分割效应较为明显。     

中国会计准则与国际会计准则的之间的实质性差异及原因分析

为了适应全球经济日益融合的发展趋势,改革开放以来我国逐步建立与完善了企业会计准则体系,并与国际会计准则实现了持续性趋同.但与国际会计准则相比,目前我国企业会计准则在关联方披露和资产减值等方面仍然存在实质性差异,这些差异主要是法律体系差异、政府干预程度不同、市场经济发育程度差异、会计准则制定话语权差异等原因造成的.各国会计准则趋同是全球会计准则发展的基本趋势,我国应当顺应会计准则国际趋同趋势,深度参与国际财务报告准则的制定,不断完善我国企业会计准则体系,提升我国在国际会计准则建设中的影响力和话语权,从而使国际会计准则更多地兼顾包括我国在内的发展中国家的情况和需求.     

The use of accounting information for the valuation of dual-class shares listed on China's stock markets

This study examines whether accounting data are useful in helping explain the market value of listed firms in China. In particular, we focus our investigation on companies that have issued dual-class shares sold to domestic investors (A-shares) and foreigners (B-shares). Domestic accounting standards (DAS) are used for the financial statements of A-shares while international accounting standards (IAS) are used for B-shares. Our results show that IAS earnings information is incorporated in the prices and returns of B-shares. In contrast, A-share investors appear to place most weight on DAS earnings and only recently has there been an association with IAS information. Book values are value relevant for B-share prices but not for A-share prices. Sensitivity tests show that accounting information is more likely to be impounded in share prices and returns for firms with high individual (i.e. non-government) share ownership. Based on our results, we argue that China's move towards the adoption of IAS will be useful for A-share investors, especially in light of the country's recent accession to the WTO and the consequent opening-up of the economy.     

Value relevance of accounting information: Evidence from an emerging market

Without making any distinction of the applicable accounting standards, this paper investigates, firstly, the value relevance of accounting information from 1999 to 2012 in different segments of the Chinese stock market. This investigation includes A-shares, prepared under Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS) for domestic firms; B-shares, prepared under either the International Accounting Standards (IAS) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for both domestic and overseas firms; and H-shares prepared under either the IAS or Hong Kong GAAP for Hong Kong and overseas firms. Then, the paper examines whether or not the converged IFRS with CAS, applicable from 2007 onwards, is more value relevant when compared with prior to the 2007's standards (CAS, IAS, Hong Kong GAAP for A-share, B-share, and H-share markets, respectively). Based on 34,020 firm-year observations and after controlling for industry- and year-fixed effects, the findings suggest that accounting information is value relevant with A- and B-share markets, while it is partially relevant with the H-share market. The paper finds that the converged IFRS with CAS is more value relevant in A-shares and B-shares and it is partially more value relevant with the H-share market. These findings have implications for both policymakers and investors since they provide further empirical evidence for the current policy procedure which harmonizes local GAAP with IFRS.     

Value relevance of international accounting standards harmonization: Evidence from A- and B-share markets in China

Applying both the price-levels model and the lagged-price-deflated returns model, we investigated the incremental value relevance of the reconciliation of accounts from the Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS) to the International Accounting Standards (IAS) by those Chinese listed companies that have simultaneously issued A-shares and B-shares. In addition, we examined the usefulness of accounting numbers (earnings and book values) and their value relevance to the A- and B-share markets in China. The study finds that earnings and book values of owners’ equity determined under CAS are more relevant accounting information for the purpose of determining the prices of A- and B-shares. The CAS-based earnings changes were reflected in stock returns in the B-share market, while the CAS-based earnings were closely associated with stock returns in the A-share market. However, the study found that the reconciliation of earnings and book values from CAS to IAS basis is partially value-relevant, mainly to stock prices in the B-share market, while the earnings reconciliation is generally not value-added to stock returns in either the A- or the B-share market. The study results suggest that accounting numbers based on domestic accounting standards, in contrast to IAS, are more value-relevant in the Chinese stock market at present.     

强制性制度变迁与盈余稳健性——来自深沪证券市场的经验证据

本文以1995—2004年深沪两市全部A股上市公司为研究样本,考察会计制度的强制性变迁是否显著提高我国上市公司会计盈余的稳健性。研究结果显示,1995—1997期间上市公司会计盈余不具有稳健性,意在提高上市公司稳健性水平的《股份有限公司会计制度》的实施并未实质性增强1998—2000期间会计盈余的稳健性水平,而更为积极贯彻国际通行的稳健会计政策的《企业会计制度》的实施则显著提升了2001-2004期间我国上市公司会计盈余的稳健性。然而,单独对盈利公司所作的进一步检验却表明,2001—2004期间会计盈余显示的稳健性特征主要是由于亏损公司"洗大澡"造成的。研究结果表明,单纯转变会计准则并不能改善会计信息的质量,除非附以相配套的强有力的法律和执行机制。     

IAS Versus U.S. GAAP: Information Asymmetry–Based Evidence from Germany's New Market

Motivated by the debate about globally uniform accounting standards, this study investigates whether firms using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) vis‐à‐vis international accounting standards (IAS) exhibit differences in several proxies for information asymmetry. It exploits a unique setting in which the two sets of standards are put on a level playing field. Firms trading in Germany's New Market must choose between IAS and U.S. GAAP for financial reporting, but face the same regulatory environment otherwise. Thus, institutional factors such as listing requirements, market microstructure, and standards enforcement are held constant. In this setting, differences in the bid‐ask spread and share turnover between IAS and U.S. GAAP firms are statistically insignificant and economically small. Subsequent analyses of analysts' forecast dispersion, initial public offering underpricing, and firms' standard choices corroborate these findings. Thus, at least for New Market firms, the choice between IAS and U.S. GAAP appears to be of little consequence for information asymmetry and market liquidity. These findings do not support widespread claims that U.S. GAAP produce financial statements of higher informational quality than IAS.     

Accounting standard changes and foreign analyst behavior: Evidence from China

This study investigates changes in foreign analyst behavior before and after Chinese New Accounting Standards was implemented during 2007. The empirical results show that after the new accounting standards were implemented, forecast error among foreign analysts decreased in both absolute and relative terms in comparison with domestic analysts, and foreign analysts forecast earnings more frequently than they did before the new accounting standards. These results imply that the implementation of new accounting standards in the Chinese capital market helped mitigate both information asymmetry between listed firms in China and foreign investors, and the “home bias” of foreign analysts. It also increased the attractiveness of listed firms and facilitated international communication and cooperation. This study also has significant implications for how resource allocation efficiency in the Chinese capital market can be raised and how the “introducing in” policy should be assessed.     

Interlock Concentration and Analyst Forecast Accuracy: Value Implications of Interlock

From the perspective of information commonalities among firms with director interlock relationships, this study mainly investigates the outcomes of earnings forecasts by analysts who choose to concentrate on interlocked firms (analysts following both a firm and its interlocked partner firm in their research portfolio). Using interlocked A‐share firms listed in the Chinese Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2008 to 2013 as samples, we empirically find that analysts who concentrate on interlocked firms produce more accurate earnings forecasts than analysts who do not. In additional analysis, we also find that analysts with an interlock concentration provide superior earnings forecast quality for other non‐interlocked firms in their research portfolios. Finally, through examining the market reaction to interlocked firms, we find that analysts with an interlock concentration provide new information and improve information efficiency for the capital market.     

The price impact of foreign institutional herding on large-size stocks in the Taiwan stock market

This study constructs a panel threshold regression model to explore the price impact of foreign institutional herding of firms listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange during January 2000 to June 2008. Our panel threshold model is constructed to explore the price impact of foreign institutional investors?? herding in the Taiwan stock market after controlling the firm size. By examining the presence of threshold effect, this study analyzes whether firm size would obviously and asymmetrically affect the explanation for the effect of changes in foreign investors?? share ownership on abnormal returns. The empirical results of this study find the significant evidence of threshold effect which divides the stocks into large-size and small-size firms. It is found that foreign institutional investors in the Taiwan stock market tend to hold large-size stocks listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange. There is an apparent increase in the subsequent abnormal returns on large-size stocks bought in bulk by foreign investors. The signals of changes in share ownership initiated by foreign institutional investors would reveal further information for improving the performance of asset reallocation decisions in Taiwan. The panel threshold model constructed in this paper well describes the price impact of institutional herding yet eschews the possibly subjective data snooping issue resulting from the two-pass sorting method as proposed by previous related researches.     

The Information Environment of China''s A and B Shares: Can We Make Sense of the Numbers?

In 1990, three stock exchanges were opened in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. Partial privatization of China's enterprises began with offering two types of shares: A shares are sold only domestically to locals and are denominated in local currency; B shares are denominated in dollars and are sold only to foreign investors. All listed firms offer A shares, but to qualify for offering B shares, the firm must prepare financial statements in accordance with International Accounting Standards and also meet other requirements. Firms issuing A shares only adopt domestic accounting regulations.As a way of generating capital funds, market segmentation has been a success. Both types of shares, however, have two different information environments. The environment of A shares appears to be dominated by local regulations and customs at the time of offering or trading. The information environment of A shares appears to be relatively unstructured and is affected by informal communication between various groups. Other than the roles played by state officials and appointed managers, external monitoring of A shares appears to be limited. Independence and social acceptance of auditing appear to be making slow progress, especially when the majority of domestic CPA firms are government owned. In contrast, the information environment for the B shares is more structured because (1) financial reporting adheres to International Accounting Standards, (2) financial statements are audited by CPA firms with international practice; and (3) foreign investors — mainly large financial institutions — also act as external monitors.We elaborate on the differences between these two information environments and suggest that accounting earnings and A share prices are not correlated, but earnings and share prices are correlated for B shares. In an event-study approach, we find results inconsistent with both hypotheses — for 1994 and 1995 we find that earnings and unexpected returns are correlated for A shares but not for B shares. The high price volatility, the significant and continuing dominance of government officials, and the thinness of trade in B shares are offered as possible explanation for these results.