Saving the Euro: Mitigating Financial or Trade Spillovers?

This paper analyzes through what channels the euro crisis affected firms and the efficacy of policies to mitigate the crisis. It analyzes stock price responses for 3,045 nonfinancial firms in 16 countries to four key policy events during 2010–11. Using precrisis benchmarks, it separates financial effects from trade effects and examines how bank and trade linkages propagated shocks. It finds that policy measures affected financially dependent firms more, particularly in creditor countries with greater bank exposure to peripheral euro countries, in statistically and economically significant ways. Trade linkages with peripheral countries played little role, although euro movements meant some differential effects.     

Who Influences the Design of Management Accounting Systems? An Exploratory Study

This paper outlines the results of an exploratory, survey‐based study of the relative influence of managers and management accountants on management accounting system (MAS) design. The findings reveal that, on average, corporate management have the stronger influence on MAS design. However, the strength of their influence does vary both across firms and the sub‐areas of management accounting and, in a significant number of cases, the management accountants’ influence is the greater. The results, therefore, suggest that the processes by which MASs evolve differ across firms due to the variation that exists in the influence exerted by these two parties in MAS design. This finding is significant for researchers studying change and difference in management accounting practice.     

Does the European Financial Stability Facility Bail Out Sovereigns or Banks? An Event Study

On May 9, 2010 euro zone countries announced the creation of the European Financial Stability Facility. This paper investigates the impact of this announcement on bank share prices, bank credit default swap (CDS) spreads, and sovereign CDS spreads. The main private beneficiaries were bank creditors. Furthermore, countries with banking systems heavily exposed to southern Europe and Ireland benefited, as evidenced by lower sovereign CDS spreads. The combined gains of bank debt holders and shareholders exceed the increase in the value of their banks’ sovereign debt exposures, suggesting that banks saw their contingent claim on the financial safety net increase in value.     

Disclosure Overload? An Empirical Analysis of International Financial Reporting Standards Disclosure Requirements

Despite the positive effects of the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) noted in the literature, standard setters have issued reports suggesting that the required disclosures in IFRS have become too burdensome and should be reduced. We examine this disclosure overload problem by testing whether the disclosure reduction recommendations of the Excess Baggage Report issued by professional accounting bodies from Scotland and New Zealand in 2011 are associated with companies’ disclosure incentives and are value relevant for a sample of 196 Australian listed companies. The Excess Baggage Report classifies current IFRS disclosure requirement items into three categories: Retain; Delete; and Disclose if Material. We find that Retain items are disclosed the most, followed by those classified as Disclose if Material, and then by Delete items. Only Retain items are significantly associated with companies’ disclosure incentives. We also find that these disclosure categories are value relevant, especially for below-median profitability firms. Our findings may provide input to the IASB’s ongoing Disclosure Initiatives project.     

Globalization and the state–profession relationship: the case the Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Globalization of businesses raises major questions about the regulation of corporations, both in the national and international context. The debate is marked by two competing views. The ‘hyperglobalists’ claim that in a globalized world, nation-states cannot take effective actions to regulate multinational businesses, especially those relating to banking and finance. In response, the ‘skeptics’ accept the view that to regulate corporations, the nation-state has always had to restructure itself. However, they challenge the contention that globalization has reduced the power, functions and authority of the state. The paper contributes to the debate through an examination of some of the processes leading to the forced closure (and the aftermath) of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), a bank that operated from 73 countries. It particularly focuses upon the role of the banking regulators and their reliance upon auditing technologies to regulate major banks. The paper sides with the ‘skeptics’ and argues that the nation states, especially major Western states, remain important players in the regulation of global businesses. It concludes that the nation-state’s capacity to regulate global enterprises is compromised by history, domestic concerns and relationships with class and capitalist interests rather than by globalization per se.     

The Basle Accord of 1988 and the International Credit Crunch of 1989–1992

The 1989–1992 credit crunch is investigated by studying changes in balance-sheet accounts and the systematic risk of banks from five countries. Banks in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States experienced an asset reallocation from loans to securities and an increase in systematic risk. Out of four hypotheses studied, only the higher regulatory scrutiny hypothesis is supported in all three countries, although each hypothesis is supported in at least one country. Additional findings are that the Basle Accord may have given Canadian, British, and German banks a competitive advantage over U.S. banks; it may have failed to reduce the risk of international banks; and, for U.S. banks, no straightforward relationship is found between attaining balance-sheet target ratios and reducing bank systematic risk.     

Toward the Development of a Global Financial Safety Net or a Segmentation of the Global Financial Architecture?

This article examines the prospects for the development of a comprehensive global financial safety net (GFSN). It discusses the optimal layout of the GFSN, comprising the International Monetary Fund, regional financing arrangements (RFAs), as well as bilateral or multilateral central bank swap arrangements, and the relationship between these. It then briefly reviews and appraises the current structure and functioning of these different layers of the GFSN and discusses the need and scope for strengthening cooperation between RFAs and the IMF. It argues that the GFSN is still very patchy and there is little reason to expect significant progress in better collaboration between RFAs and the IMF as long as the latter’s governance structure is not significantly revamped. Indeed, risks are that the GFSN will become even more fragmented with the further development of the European Stability Mechanism, and the emergence of the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement. To prevent a further fragmentation of the GFSN, substantial governance reform of the IMF is urgently needed.     

Fair Value: Your Value or Mine? An Observation on the Ambiguity of the Fair Value Notion Illustrated by the Credit Crunch

Current International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) define fair value as a transaction price. In imperfect markets, buyer's and seller's marginal prices, at which they are rationally willing to transact, differ. The transaction price can be any amount within the range between those prices. However, scenarios are conceivable in which no such range exists because the seller's marginal price exceeds the buyer's. In this scenario, no arm's length transactions between knowledgeable, willing parties are possible. Such a scenario can be likely characterised by low liquidity and/or high information asymmetry and seems to be broadly consistent with what is recently referred to as the ‘credit crunch’. Under this scenario, the IFRS definition of fair value is not readily applicable. Two views are possible: under view 1, fair value refers to the potential buyer's marginal price. Although fair value does always exist conceptually, it negates the notion of two rationally acting parties. View 2 acknowledges that no arm's length transaction is possible, resulting in the fair value notion not being applicable. If these two views are applied to the IFRS definition of an active market, view 1 results in markets that are always active. Only view 2 allows distinguishing between active and inactive markets.     

Are Investors Sensitive to the Quality and the Disclosure of Financial Statements?

This paper investigates the influence of Swiss firms'disclosure policy and of their financial analysts'coverage on stock price abnormal reactions to thepublication of the annual reports. It first showsthat, after controlling for the number of analysts,the absolute abnormal returns are significantly andpositively affected by the rating measure used as aproxy of the informational quality of annual reports.It furthermore emphasises asymmetry in therelationship between stock price abnormal reactionsand two informational variables, namely the quality ofthe firm's disclosure policy and its financialanalysts' coverage. It appears that while positiveabnormal returns are significantly and positivelyrelated to the rating variable, negative abnormalreturns are only affected by the number of financialanalysts. The inverse relationship between abnormalnegative returns and the financial analysts' coveragesupports the fact that competition among analystsreduces investors' adverse selection problem. Finally,the study evidences a non-linear relationship betweenrating and positive abnormal returns which ismeaningful for the ``good' and ``very good type' firmsand thus emphasises the signaling role played by afirm's financial disclosure policy.     

Are Investors Sensitive to the Quality and the Disclosure of Financial Statements?

This paper investigates the influence of Swiss firms' disclosurepolicy and of their financial analysts' coverage on stock priceabnormal reactions to the publication of the annual reports.It first shows that, after controlling for the number of analysts,the absolute abnormal returns are significantly and positivelyaffected by the rating measure used as a proxy of the informationalquality of annual reports. It furthermore emphasises asymmetryin the relationship between stock price abnormal reactions andtwo informational variables, namely the quality of the firm'sdisclosure policy and its financial analysts' coverage. It appearsthat while positive abnormal returns are significantly and positivelyrelated to the rating variable, negative abnormal returns areonly affected by the number of financial analysts. The inverserelationship between abnormal negative returns and the financialanalysts' coverage supports the fact that competition amonganalysts reduces investors' adverse selection problem. Finally,the study evidences a non-linear relationship between ratingand positive abnormal returns which is meaningful for the "good"and "very good type" firms and thus emphasises the signalingrole played by a firm's financial disclosure policy.     

Spenders or Savers? An Examination of the Reserves of Australian NGOs

Not‐for‐profit (NFP) organisations experience a tension between societal perceptions about maximising mission expenditure on one hand, and their need to accumulate reserves to ensure longer term financial sustainability on the other. While studies have examined the level of reserves in UK and US contexts, there is little Australian research or guidance about what constitutes an appropriate level of NFP reserves. This paper examines the levels and implications of the reserves of 52 Australian NFP non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) over eight years, identifying two groups. Spenders, with less than three months of expenditure in reserve, were more financially vulnerable, had higher levels of debt, yet spent a relatively greater proportion of their revenue on mission‐related activities than savers. Savers, with more than three months’ reserves, demonstrated a greater proportion of revenue from fundraising, proportionately greater equity levels, and higher returns on assets. Providing unique insights into the financial reserves of Australian NGOs, this empirical study contributes to existing NFP literature on reserves, which to date has focused primarily on US and UK contexts. Further, we propose that by developing, monitoring and communicating their reserves’ strategies, NFP boards and managers will be able to improve their organisations’ financial sustainability and manage societal perceptions about reserves.     

The Consequences of Issuing Convertible Bonds: Dilution and/or Financial Restructuring?

Historically, most convertible bond (CB) issues have been converted to equity sooner or later. The announcement of a CB issue will bring about a future dilution of the firm's capital, and is often followed by a drop in share price. However, a CB issue by itself creates future value for the shareholders if it enables the firm to make profitable investments. It can also issue a positive signal regarding the restructuring of the firm's financial liabilities and its attempts to optimise its financial structure. These positive effects, if they occur, will develop gradually after the issue, and cannot be identified by a simple short‐term event analysis of a CB issue announcement. In this paper, we test the significance of the dilution effect, coupled with a possible value creation effect, using data from the French stock market. We introduce a comparison between dilutive convertibles and non‐dilutive exchangeable bonds. By integrating different corrections and by selecting a window of analysis over a longer period after the announcement of the issue, we show that the negative cumulative average abnormal returns generally observed in previous studies become non‐significant. This absence of global incidence is indicative of large differences in individual behaviour by issuers of CBs, and leads us to take into account the strategic choices linked to the issue of a CB. Two goals, often described as ‘investment financing’ or ‘financial restructuring’, may exist when issuing, and may appear to explain the size of the abnormal returns.     

Stand by or Follow? Responsibility Diffusion Effects and Green Credit

Understanding the behavior of private capital holders in green investment is a key to the success of green finance policies such as green credit policies. In current literature, there still remain unsettled controversies on the behaviors of private capital holders. The responsibility diffusion theory indicates that private capital holders do not follow commercial banks that issue green credit. However, the signal transmission theory implies that private capital holders may follow. Stand by or follow? We apply the two-way fixed-effects model to analyze the behavior pattern of private capital holders in green investment, using the panel data of 443 listed companies in China. The results show that the private capital holders’ behavior is affected by responsibility diffusion effect.     

Do Restatements Improve the Persistence of Earnings and Its Components?

We examine the persistence of earnings in the pre‐ and postrestatements periods and find that restatements generally improve the persistence of earnings. We also examine how the persistence of earnings is influenced by restatements that are voluntarily initiated by managers (voluntary restatements) and those forced onto firms by outsiders (mandated restatements). Our analysis shows that voluntary restatements are followed by improvement in the persistence of earnings and that mandated restatements are not followed by improvement in earnings persistence. We find results that are consistent with the main finding when we decompose earnings into accruals and free cash flows. We use a difference‐in‐difference research design and confirm that the improvement in the postrestatement persistence of earnings components exceeds that of control firms only for voluntary restatements. Further, we show that our results are robust after controlling for endogeneity of voluntary restatements by including a two‐stage model using the Heckman ( 1979 ) method where we first estimate the likelihood of manipulation detection and analyze change in persistence conditional on the first stage analysis. The improvement in earnings persistence around voluntary restatements is not driven by the level of earnings decomposition or a subgroup of voluntary restatements. The results support our hypothesis that voluntary restatements have distinctly different economic consequences from mandated restatements.     

Who Transfers Credit Risk? Determinants of the Use of Credit Derivatives by Large US Banks

Abstract

Credit derivatives enable banks to transfer selected credit risks to third parties. An empirical model is developed for the motivation for bank participation in credit derivative markets and, conditional on participation, the factors that determine the volume of business transacted. Participation appears to be closely related to bank size, but there is only limited evidence that entry barriers related to franchise value or past experience in dealing in derivatives are important. There is evidence that banks use credit derivatives as part of their overall risk management strategy. However, the use of credit derivatives does not appear to be influenced by the extent of managerial share ownership.     

The Bigger the Better? Merger and Acquisition Performance of Financial Holding Corporations

This study investigates the performance of the merger and acquisition activities of 14 financial holding corporations (FHCs) in Taiwan before and after their establishment in 2002. We find weak evidence of improved performance of FHCs. The findings have implications for other reforming emerging countries in East Asia with similar economic structures and financial environment.     

Does the Quality of Financial Advice Affect Prices?

Using a large data sample of 58,562 new municipal issues covering the period from 1984 to 2002, we examine whether the quality of advice provided by a financial advisor affects new issue interest costs. We find that higher‐quality financial advisors are associated with statistically significant decreases in new issue yields. The effect of advisor quality on yields is more pronounced for revenue, negotiated, and opaque bond issues than for general obligation and competitively sold issues. However, issuers of revenue or negotiated bonds are more likely to choose a low‐quality advisor.     

An Empirical Analysis on the Relationship between Regional Financial Development and the Change of Urban-rural Income Inequality, Is It Inverted U or U ？

针对区域金融发展与城乡收入分配差异变化的关系问题,在前人基于2007年县市横截面数据实证研究得到＂倒U关系＂的基础上,继续收集1912个样本县市2005、2007、2009年共三年的数据,改变统计指标和样本范围,再次运用非参数Kendallτ相关性检验方法进行实证分析,不分组检验都得到正相关,分组检验没有得到显著的整体＂倒U关系＂,反而是＂U关系＂,但是得到局部的＂倒U关系＂和＂U关系＂,有一些是统计显著的,而另一些不是统计显著的。这说明经济理论、样本数据、检验方法并不是恰好吻合的,需要深入探索其中的复杂性。     

Has Petroleum Pricing Reform in China Achieved Its Objective? An Empirical Study

China’s petroleum pricing reform has started since 1998 and is still ongoing. It has a profound impact on China’s oil market and even global oil market. We quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of the reform on two key issues. Has the pricing reform strengthened the linkage between the international crude market and China’s petroleum products market? Has the pricing reform magnified shocks to the international crude market on China’s economy? Our results show that the reform has strengthened the relationship between China’s petroleum prices and international crude price without negative influence on China’s economy, but the effect of China’s petroleum prices on international crude price is still limited. Furthermore, the reform helps the Chinese government reduce oil subsidies.