Relative Value Relevance of Alternative Accounting Treatments for Unrealized Gains: Implications for the IASB

We investigate the relative value relevance of the alternative accounting methods for unrealized gains on investment properties in New Zealand (NZ). Using both the Likelihood‐ratio test and the F‐test, we find that, while preferred by the NZ standard setter, recognition of unrealized gains in the income statement is not superior to (or significantly different from) recognition of unrealized gains in revaluation reserve in terms of their value relevance. The results are robust to the different research methods we used. Our results have implications for the International Accounting Standards Board in terms of: (i) recognizing changes in fair values of investment properties in the income statement under the revised IAS 40: Investment Property in countries where “realization” refers to net income available for distribution; (ii) its intent to issue a standard on a single statement of comprehensive income; and (iii) its initiative to reduce or eliminate alternative accounting treatments for similar fact situations in its standards.     

Do Investors Pay Sufficient Attention to Banks’ Unrealized Gains and Losses on Available-for-sale Securities?

Abstract

Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities (AFSGL) are included in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) and directly affect shareholders’ equity but are not included in earnings. We investigate whether unrealized AFSGL help predict future earnings and whether analysts and investors incorporate the information conveyed by unrealized AFSGL in a timely manner. We conduct our investigation on a sample of banks because unrealized AFSGL are material in the banking industry. First, we show that unrealized AFSGL are material and help in predicting next period realized AFSGL and future earnings change. Second, we document that financial analysts are slow to react to unrealized AFSGL and update their forecasts after AFSGL are realized in earnings. Third, we find that investors are also slow to react to unrealized AFSGL and do so only after AFSGL are included (realized) in earnings and after financial analysts update their forecasts. We document an annual difference of 5% in future abnormal returns between banks in the top and bottom quintiles of past unrealized AFSGL. A zero-cost trading strategy that relies on public information about unrealized AFSGL generates a sizeable monthly alpha that ranges between 1.8% and 1.9%.     

Choice of Accounting Method for Valuation of Investment Securities: Evidence from Hong Kong Firms

This study examines whether Hong Kong managers choose “benchmark” or “alternative” valuation method for investment securities, after the Hong Kong SSAP 24 became effective starting with fiscal‐year ending December 31, 1999. Tests are conducted on a sample of 292 firms, out of which 155 Hong Kong firms reported unrealized gains and losses and 128 firms that did not report holding gains/losses, but reported investment securities. The findings indicate that firms with strong relative performance, i.e. current year's EPS higher than that of the last year, chose the alternative valuation method when the investment securities had holding gains and recognized the unrealized holding gains in the equity section of the balance sheet. This finding is consistent with the Cookie Jar hypothesis because these holding gains would be used in the income statement in future periods, when needed. With regard to firms with strong relative performance and holding losses, the findings indicate that the benchmark valuation was used. The losses were reported in the income statement to the extent that they did not reduce the EPS below that of the last year. This finding is consistent with the Income Smoothing Hypothesis, because the use of benchmark valuation reduced EPS of the current year to bring it in line with that of the last year. Evidence on firms with weak economic performance and holding gains or losses provided weak support to the Income Smoothing Hypothesis and Big Bath Hypothesis. Additionally, the results indicate that the firms with high debt‐equity ratio preferred the benchmark method and recorded securities at cost. This treatment provided managers with an opportunity to liquidate or reclassify the securities in future periods and use the accrued gains, when needed. The findings are inconclusive with regard to the impact of bonus plan on the choice of valuation method.     

小议“利得”之概念

所有者权益的来源包括所有者投入的资本、直接计入所有者权益的利得和损失、留存收益等。利得属于《企业会计准则》中一个新的概念,本文对于它的确认、计量和报告试图进行一个系统的阐述,并将之与收入进行比较。     

The Impact of Unrealized Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy

We examine the impact of unrealized fair value adjustments on dividend policy. Dividend payouts should include only persistent income [Lintner, J. (1956). Distribution of incomes of corporations among dividends, retained earnings and taxes. American Economic Review, 46(2), 97–113]. In our institutional setting, however, regulators recommend the non-distribution of any income from fair value adjustments, which suggests that they interpret them as transitory. We empirically demonstrate that fair value adjustments on investment property are persistent, while those on financial securities are transitory. We further show that only fair value adjustments from investment properties are distributed. We argue that managers perceive the persistence of the two fair value components correctly, and by doing so, they distribute income consistent with the Lintner framework rather than on regulatory recommendations. Finally, by focusing on managerial optimism, debt contracting, and insider ownership, we demonstrate the conditions under which firms choose to deviate from regulator recommendations and to distribute fair value profits.     

Earnings Benchmarks and the Information Content of Quarterly Foreign Earnings of U.S. Multinational Companies

The meeting of earnings benchmarks is considered important for investors. The chief financial officers of U.S. companies state that the three most important earnings thresholds to meet are the earnings in the same quarter last year, the analysts' earnings forecast for the current quarter, and zero earnings. These earnings benchmarks have been defined in terms of total earnings. For U.S. multinational firms, total earnings consist primarily of domestic earnings and foreign earnings. We conduct an event study where we examine (1) the stock market reaction to meeting or beating quarterly domestic and foreign earnings benchmarks and (2) the market reaction to the changes in quarterly domestic and foreign earnings, while we control for meeting or beating the analysts' earnings forecast and the analysts' earnings forecast surprise. We find that the quarterly financial statement disclosure of domestic and foreign earnings under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131 supplies investors with valuable information that was not previously disseminated through financial analysts or other sources. The stock market reaction to meeting or beating foreign earnings from the same quarter in the prior year is stronger than the market reaction to meeting or beating domestic earnings from the same quarter in the prior year.     

Value-Driving Activities in Euro-Zone Banks

We develop and test accounting-based valuation models for commercial banks. We extend Begley et al.'s framework (2006) and propose a valuation model where goodwill is generated by virtually all commercial and investment banking activities. Key features of our model are: the development of a relation between future cash flows from fee income and the bank value that depends on lending, borrowing and off-balance sheet business; and the inclusion of proprietary investment and trading as value-driving activities. Empirical tests on a sample of Euro-zone banks from 1998 to 2006 provide the following evidence. Unrealised expected cash flows from fee income are the most important source of unrecorded goodwill. This is consistent with the increasing importance of revenue from the sale of financial services to banks' income. The contribution of fee income to goodwill is higher for banks with large deposits and new loans. Equity securities are a source of unrecorded goodwill, but the introduction of fair value accounting, with the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), reduces their valuation role. Yet equity securities remain positively associated with unrecorded goodwill after IFRS adoption, suggesting that the fair value standards do not fully capture market expectations about future cash flows of investment assets.     

会计准则、证券监管规则与盈余管理——基于债务重组准则变迁视角

通过建立LOGIT回归模型分析债务重组准则三次变迁和证券监管规则的历次修订对盈余管理的影响,结果发现会计准则的历次变迁只是影响了盈余管理手段和形式,并没有控制住盈余管理的发生;上市公司大股东和经理层通过合谋进行盈余管理,迎合或规避证券监管规则以保护和利用上市公司壳资源,进而牟取其他利益相关者(尤其是中小股东)的利益,是盈余管理行为产生的直接诱因和根本原因。因此,要制约盈余管理行为,需要改进证券监管规则,协调主要利益相关者的利益。     

历史成本与公允价值的共存关系探析

本文对历史成本与公允价值之间的内在联系进行了分析,提出＂公允价值=历史成本＋持有利得＋经营增值＂的关系式,并指出相比持有利得而言,经营增值是推动历史成本向公允价值演化的更重要因素,也是导致目前财务会计信息缺陷的主要领域。财务会计应转变理念,接纳经营增值作为会计对象,构建历史成本与公允价值并存的资产负债表,以及同时反映已实现利润和未实现增值的收益表,建立更全面、完整地反映企业价值运动且具有更明晰勾稽关系的报表体系。     

Improvements onthe Earnings Forecast Model——Based on Correlation between Financial Ratio, Auditor Opinion and Future Earnings

This paper aims to find evidence for the improvements on the present earnings forecast models through analyzing the correlation among financial ratios, auditor opinion of listed companies and their future earnings. This paper uses two statistical regression methods including Logistic model and Linear model to examine the inner interaction between financial ratios and future earnings from qualitative and quantitative perspectives respectively. Empirical tests find that financial ratios, especially ROE, can help to predict future earnings. Then we add auditor opinion variable into Logistic model to test whether going concern opinion in the auditor reports can be helpful for earnings forecast. Result shows the degree of optimistic statement of going concern opinion is significantly correlated with future earnings but with the disturbance of earnings management.     

我国上市公司盈余管理的成因、手段及识别

上市公司通过盈余管理掩盖企业亏损,粉饰会计报告,造成会计信息失真,阻碍了证券市场的健康发展。本文通过对我国上市公司盈余管理的成因,手段分析,提出了识别盈余管理的方法。     

The Value Relevance of Accounting Income Reported by DAX-30 German Companies

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are required for consolidated financial statements of all European Union (EU) publicly traded companies starting from the December 2005 fiscal year end [Regulation (EC)]; and endorsed by the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) for its member countries beginning in 2000. We examine the challenges and benefits, including value relevance, of the adoption of IFRS by DAX‐30 companies, the German premium stock market. Based on a survey sent to DAX‐30 company executives, we find most companies agreeing that implementing IFRS should improve the comparability of financial statements. The complex nature, high cost of adopting and lack of guidance for implementing IFRS, as well as increased volatility of earnings after adopting IFRS, are listed among the most important challenges of conversion to IFRS. We use regression to measure another benefit: the value relevance of book values of earnings and equity in explaining market values of DAX‐30 companies during the period 1995–2004. Using 265 observations, we find that adopting IFRS or US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or cross‐listing on the New York Stock Exchange significantly increases the value relevance of earnings relative to market prices.     

The effects of foreign-currency translation accounting on security analysts' forecasts

This paper examines certain initial effects on security analysts' forecasts of earnings per share that resulted from the December 1981 change in the Financial Accounting Standards Board rules for foreign-currency accounting and reporting from Statement 8 to Statement 52. The results show that, relative to a non-Statement 52 control sample, analysts were more uncertain about future earnings when Statement 52 was initially adopted by the FASB or implemented by companies, and that analysis revised their forecasts more frequently during those periods. The revisions of analysts were positively correlated with the magnitude of the impact of the new standard on company earnings.     

Do Islamic Banks Employ Less Earnings Management?

In this article, we examine whether Islamic banks are less likely to manage their earnings than non‐Islamic banks and how Islamic banks’ unique corporate governance system, especially Shari'ah Supervisory Boards, impacts earnings management behaviors within Islamic banks. Using a sample of Islamic banks and their matched non‐Islamic banks in 15 countries, we find that, first, Islamic banks are less likely to conduct earnings management as measured by both earnings loss avoidance and abnormal loan loss provisions. Second, there are no significantly different earnings management behaviors between Islamic banks with and without Shari'ah Supervisory Boards. Third, several Shari'ah Supervisory Board characteristics, such as size and the presence of members from Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, are important determinants of the earnings management of Islamic banks who have Shari'ah Supervisory Boards.     

公允价值计量、资产价值变动与审计收费——基于2009—2012年沪深上市公司的经验证据

公允价值计量具有价值相关性,但也存在资产估价的风险性,这一会计估计风险对以风险成本为基础的审计定价及其变化至关重要。以后金融危机时期2009--2012年沪深上市公司的数据为样本,实证研究公允价值计量下的资产价值变动对审计收费的影响,结果显示：持有资产价值变动总体和公允价值变动损益、资产减值损失分项均显著正向影响审计收费,这表明持有资产价值变动幅度越大,审计收费越高;在持有资产价值变动总体正向影响审计收费的强度逐年显著增强的情况下,公允价值变动损益对审计收费正向影响的显著性提升,但是影响强度下降;资产减值损失对审计收费正向影响的强度和显著性均逐年提升,这表明审计收费蕴含公允价值估计风险和资产计价的公允性。     

Identifying Decision Useful Information with the Matrix Format Income Statement

We conduct an experiment to investigate the potential benefits of an alternative format for the income statement, the matrix format, initially developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and UK Accounting Standards Board in their joint project on performance reporting. Sophisticated financial statement users (financial analysts and professional accountants) and less sophisticated financial statement users (MBA students) were asked to extract information from a set of financial statements that included an income statement either in the IAS 1 format or in the matrix format. We find that the matrix format improves the accuracy with which users extract financial information. This result is driven by greater accuracy, for all user groups, on “below‐the‐line” items. Furthermore, despite lack of familiarity with the matrix format, its use did not appear to affect the time taken, the ease of extracting financial information, or users' task completion confidence; further experience with the matrix format could lead to benefits along these lines as well. Our findings may assist the FASB and IASB in their joint project on financial statement presentation.     

公允价值计量:一个世界性的财务报告难题

公允价值计量是一个公认的世界性财务报告难题,"定义"和"计量级次"是该难题的症结所在。我们分析了IASB与FASB为改进公允价值定义和计量级次所做的尝试和所取得的成果,它们的经验对完善我国新准则公允价值计量应用有借鉴作用。     

我国金融控股银行与非金融控股银行经营绩效比较研究

在受金融自由化改革和金融创新的推动下,混业经营在金融一体化下成为一种趋势。我国商业银行通过组建金融控股公司,已广泛开展保险、信托、证券、基金等业务间合作。本文以我国主要商业银行2005年至2007年的业绩表现为研究对象,对其进行了研究,结果表明:我国金融控股公司背景银行的经营绩效好于非金融控股公司背景银行,金控银行的手续费及佣金收入对绩效有更高的贡献率,我国应鼓励商业银行向金融控股公司转型,实现金控模式的规范发展。     

公允价值在运用中存在的问题及其对策

新会计准则对公允价值的重新启用,标志着我国在会计准则国际趋同的进程中又迈出了坚实的一步,表明我国市场经济日趋成熟。本文结合我国公允价值运用的现状,指出在对公允价值实际运用方面存在的诸多问题,并对进一步的完善公允价值提出了几点相关对策。     

公允价值计量模式研究

公允价值计量问题一直是学术界讨论的热点,新会计准则的实施使公允价值计量开始成为实务界关注的重要会计问题。本文系统地介绍了公允价值计量模式,论证了公允价值计量模式产生、发展的历史必然性,并针对我国的现实情况提出了对公允价值计量模式实施的建议。