The Geography of Equity Listing: Why Do Companies List Abroad?

This paper documents aggregate trends in the foreign listings of companies, and analyzes their distinctive prelisting characteristics and postlisting performance. In 1986–1997, many European companies listed abroad, mainly on U.S. exchanges, while the number of U.S. companies listed in Europe decreased. European companies that cross-list tend to be large and recently privatized firms, and expand their foreign sales after listing abroad. They differ sharply depending on where they cross-list: The U.S. exchanges attract high-tech and export-oriented companies that expand rapidly without significant leveraging. Companies cross-listing within Europe do not grow unusually fast, and increase their leverage after cross-listing.