美国的公允价值研究:现状、问题与未来方向

美国的公允价值计量研究仍然存在诸多不足甚至错误,表现在公允价值定义与财务会计概念公告冲突、价值与价格混淆、对公允价值的本质认识不准确、计量重点把握不当、公允价值理论体系混乱复杂等多个方面。美国公允价值研究的真正突破表现在:(1)对公允价值可靠性认识态度发生了悄然转变;(2)明确提倡价值计量,为澄清价值计量属性和货币计量单位提供了契机;(3)提出了后续计量概念,这是会计动态反映观的开始。这三个方面的突破,实际上暗示了公允价值会计未来的发展方向和突破点。     

The association between firm characteristics and CFO's opinions on the fair value option for non-financial assets

SFAS 157 provides a common definition for fair value while SFAS 159 expands the applicability of the fair value option. This paper analyzes the responses of 209 CFOs of U.S. firms to a survey asking whether they would choose the fair value option for non-financial assets (FVONFA) and investigates the determinants of CFOs' responses to the option. One of our results suggests that CFOs in the U.S. are resistant to the FVONFA, consistent with prior studies based on firms in Europe and Australia. Our results also suggest that firm size, leverage, the amount of non-financial assets, and expertise in fair value measurements all positively affect the CFOs' responses to the FVONFA.     

The relative and incremental value relevance of goodwill before and after SFAS No. 142

We explore the value relevance of goodwill against two benchmarks: other accounting information and long-lived tangible assets. Prior research suggests that fair value estimates for goodwill must be inferred from other available information because of the nature of goodwill, including its intangibility. Such inferences are highly discretionary and may limit the usefulness of reported goodwill estimates. Because Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142 relies exclusively on fair value estimates to subsequently measure goodwill, reported values considering management’s increased discretion may be less reliable and less value relevant when presented in conjunction with other accounting information. However, the subsequent accounting measurement for goodwill is not dissimilar from the subsequent measurement for long-lived tangible assets, which are also subject to impairment. In general, impairment measurement is subjective; management may have greater insight, even in the presence of management incentives and other accounting information, that may help confirm or disconfirm investors’ own goodwill estimates. Using other accounting information and long-lived tangible assets as benchmarks for the value relevance of goodwill, we find that reported goodwill provides greater value relevance relative to other accounting information after SFAS 142 and that the difference between the value relevance of goodwill and other long-lived tangible assets is also significantly greater following SFAS 142.     

FASB编纂专题820《公允价值计量和披露》研究及对我国的启示

美国FASB编纂专题820《公允价值计量和披露》是国际会计界会计准则建设上划时代的里程碑。FASB和IASB正共同引领全球公允价值会计准则的持续全面趋同大潮。它们已决定为得不到第一或第二层级输入值的"难以计量的资产和负债"的公允价值计量研制教育指南,而这已可以解决中国面临的主要问题。我们只有迎难而上,努力学习,才能实现持续全面趋同目标。     

Managerial discretion and the comparability of fair value estimates

We explore how discretion over fair value measurement affects the comparability of fair value estimates in the financial industry. We find that greater exposure to Level 2 (Level 3) measurement enhances (diminishes) the comparability of fair value estimates across firms. These contrasting results reflect a nuanced relation between discretion over fair value measurement and comparability and suggest that managers convey useful information through Level 2 estimates, whereas Level 3 measurement is subject to error and managerial opportunism. Cross-sectional analyses show that fair value estimates are less comparable when managers have stronger incentives to introduce discretion and more comparable when investor monitoring is stronger. Additional analyses demonstrate that the comparability of fair value estimates is negatively associated with non-agency mortgage backed security holdings, the asset class most likely to be held at Level 3 by our sample firms, and that our primary results hold for alternative measures of comparability. Taken together, our results highlight the critical role of discretion in shaping the comparability of fair value estimates.     

公允价值级次:逻辑理念、实务应用及标准制定

公允价值计量是世界性财务报告难题.2006年FASB发布的"公允价值计量"准则的最大亮点是提出了"公允价值级次理论".该理论针对公允价值计量可靠性问题,力图最大限度地均衡相关性和可靠性质量特征,受到国际会计界普遍欢迎;它蕴涵的基本理念是:级次划分可为评价计量结果的可靠程度提供权威依据、充分翔实的披露能弥补可能的计量缺陷.我国企业会计准则中也隐含公允价值级次,但该级次的隐含性可能限制其充分地发挥作用,因此制定明确的公允价值级次十分必要.     

Do enhanced derivative disclosures work? An informational perspective

Firms use derivatives both for hedging and nonhedging purposes. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 161 (SFAS 161) requires firms to disclose the purposes of their derivatives usage, thereby helping investors to evaluate the effects of derivatives usage on firm performance. Using a hand-collected sample of US listed firms and a difference-in-differences research design, we find that, compared with nonderivative-users, derivative-users compliant with SFAS 161 experience a significantly greater reduction in stock illiquidity and the probability of informed trading in the post-SFAS 161 period, and such impact is evident only for firms with a high degree of investor attention.