Corporate capital expenditure decisions and the market value of the firm

This paper is an ‘event-time’ study of the common stock prices of a sample of 658 corporations around the dates on which they publicly announced their future capital expenditure plans. For industrial firms, announcements of increases (decreases) in planned capital expenditures are associated with significant positive (negative) excess stock returns. For public utility firm, neither increases nor decreases in planned capital expenditures are associated with significant excess stock returns. We interpret the evidence as being consistent with the hypothesis that managers seek to maximize the market value of the firm in making their corporate capital expenditure decisions.     

Dividend policy under conditions of capital market and signaling equilibria

This article develops a generalized capital asset pricing model with dividend signaling under the assumption of asymmetric information between corporate insiders and outside investors. The generalized capital asset pricing model is derived under reasonably plausible conditions that are sufficient for the existence of dividends. The model provides a theoretical framework for testing the effect of dividends on equity price and returns. Further, if dividends serve as a credible signal and the cost of signaling is positive, paying higher dividends results in higher systematic risk.     

An intervention analysis for the relationship between capital expenditure decisions and the market value of firms

This article is meant to explore the relationship between corporate capital expenditure decisions and the market value of firms using the intervention technique. The article shows that deep cuts in capital expenditures may, for sink-hole type projects, provide a positive signal to the marketplace. For non-sink-hole type projects, our findings are not quite consistent with those reported in McConnell and Muscarella (1985).     

Simple theories for complex processes: Accounting policy and the market for myopia

The tendency to use simplified models to capture and predict complex phenomena in the social sciences is discussed and criticized by examining a paper on policymaking, Watts and Zimmerman's “Demand for and Supply of Accounting Theories: The Market for Excuses.” Criticism of the paper takes three forms: 1) the methodology and testability is shown to be suspect; 2) the applicability of the evidence cited to the propositions stated is questioned; 3) contrary evidence is given to rebut the theory.     

Modeling capital structure decisions in a transition market: empirical analysis of firms in Egypt

It has been realized that none of the three basic theories of capital structure presents a complete answer to the actual determinants of corporate financing decisions. This study attempts to model the practice of capital structure decisions according to the basic premises of each theory of capital structure: trade-off theory, pecking-order theory and free cash flow theory. The methodology addresses modeling long-term and short-term debt financing decisions based on ten different statistical criteria using data from Egypt stock market. The empirical evidence indicates that four models of corporate financing are influenced by the trade-off theory relatively. The contributions of this paper are as follows. First, this study offers a more refined and comprehensive methodology for modeling firms’ capital structure decisions. Second, the results of this study compare to those of previous studies of other developing countries and thus add an element of external validity. Mohamed A. Ismail is currently working as a consultant for the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), the Egyptian Cabinet-Egypt. He would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the IDSC.     

资本市场的悲剧

资本市场的悲剧不在于狼的凶残,资本市场的悲剧在于羊的天真：羊居然以为自己可以与狼去斗法,与狼去博弈,结果悲剧便发生了     

Introducing International Accounting Standards to an emerging capital market: relative familiarity and language effect in Egypt

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of relative familiarity and language accessibility on the International Accounting Standards (IASs) disclosures when IASs are first introduced in an emerging capital market. The study focuses on the annual reports of listed non-financial companies in Egypt when IASs were first introduced. The method used applies a disclosure index measurement to a sample of listed company annual reports and evaluates relative compliance with IASs in relation to corporate characteristics. The results show that for relatively less familiar requirements of IASs, the extent of compliance is related to the type of audit firm used and to the presence of a specific statement of compliance with IASs. A lower degree of compliance with less familiar IASs disclosure is observed consistently across a range of company characteristics. Consideration of agency theory and capital need theory would lead to prior expectation of a distinction in disclosure practices between different categories of companies. The results were, therefore, counterintuitive to expectations where the regulations were unfamiliar or not available in the native language, indicating that new variables have to be considered and additional theoretical explanations have to be found in future disclosure studies on emerging capital markets.     

Federal open market committee structure and decisions

This paper examines the dissents of Federal Open Market Committee members regarding the domestic monetary policy directive. It shows that, on balance, governors appointed by Democratic U.S. presidents dissented significantly on the easier side, while governors appointed by Republican U.S. presidents dissented significantly on the tighter side. The pattern of dissents for the Reserve Bank presidents was like that of Republican appointees to the Board of Governors. The Bank presidents' voting did not reflect regional points of view. Furthermore, the timing of the dissents by both the governors and presidents did not seem to be associated with the onset of Congressional or presidential elections.     

Information and institutions in the capital market

In the capital market information and institutions are logically coordinate concepts. The paper argues that it is impossible to derive a complete view of the role played by capital market institutions without constructing a theory of information, a theory of institutions, and a theory of how the two are related. Consideration is given to existing epistomological and methological approaches to information and institutions. On this basis a new approach is outlined and its relevance to accounting demonstrated by analysing one major problem currently facing the accounting profession.     

银行理财与资本市场

银行理财是现代银行一项十分重要的中间业务。银行理财业务的发展,不仅大大拓宽了银行的经营范围,增加了银行取得收益的途径,也为资本市场的发展增添了新的活力。该文介绍了银行理财的主要种类及其存在背景,分析了银行理财资金进入资本市场的联结渠道及其制约因素,指出更多的理财资金应进入资本市场,以更好地满足社会投资需求,有关政策应当对理财资金进入资本市场进行鼓励。     

Internal capital market subsidies and industry downturns

We examine whether multisegment firms tend to subsidize operations doing business in industries that experience a major downturn in investment opportunities. The results provide little evidence of subsidization. The likelihood of discontinuation of multisegment operations in these industries does not statistically differ from that of single-segment operations. Similarly, patterns of capital expenditures after the shock do not materially deviate between multisegment and single-segment operations. These results indicate that the internal capital markets of multisegment firms are no less (and no more) efficient than that of single-segment firms in their reaction to a shock to investment opportunities.     

Executive compensation and internal capital market efficiency

We document that chief executive officer (CEO) incentive compensation plays an important role in determining internal capital market (ICM) allocation efficiency. Our results suggest that CEO equity-based compensation can be effective in ameliorating inefficiencies in internal capital allocation decisions. We find that while stock grants play an important role in motivating CEOs to make more efficient internal capital allocation decisions, there is surprisingly no discernible influence of stock options. Our analysis supports the view that private benefits derived by managers are increasing in internal capital misallocation. We also document a strong positive link between CEO incentive compensation and excess value of diversified firms suggesting that the diversification discount can be ameliorated with CEO incentive compensation. The study contributes to the ICM literature and the literature on conglomerate diversification discount.     

Performance measurement for investment decisions under capital constraints

An owner delegates investment decisions to a better informed manager whose time preferences are unknown to the owner. Due to exogenous capital constraints, not all profitable projects can be undertaken, and therefore the owner wants the manager to select the NPV-maximizing set of projects. We show that the relative benefit cost allocation scheme proposed by prior literature does not solve this problem. Adopting the same information structure as in Rogerson (J Polit Econ 105, 770–795, 1997) and Reichelstein (Rev Account Stud 2, 157–180, 1997), we demonstrate how to obtain robust goal congruence using residual income. The resulting revenue recognition and cost allocation rules lead to a performance measure reflecting the expected NPV-ranking of projects in each and every period.

融资融券:发展我国资本市场的适时之举

融资融券是指证券交易主体可以借入资金买入证券或借入证券售出的一种信用交易方式.证券市场融资融券交易制度则是指与融资融券操作相关的一系列规章制度,政府可以借助融资融券交易制度的设计、监管及运作来调节证券市场的资金供需,以活跃股市和稳定股价.     

Financing decisions of firms and central bank policy

This paper aims to explain why unhedged foreign borrowing by South East Asian corporations rose sharply during the few years prior to the crisis despite little change in fundamentals. We show that decisions of firms and decisions of the central bank are complementary. Consequently, a small shock to fundamentals may have a large and permanent impact on the equilibrium composition of firms’ borrowing.     

中国资本市场不再是一个投机性市场

在近日于深圳举办的第四届中国虚拟经济研讨会上,中国人民大学证券研究中心主任吴晓求教授以"中国资本市场进入新的发展阶段"为题作了精彩的演讲,就目前我国资本市场发展的情况和问题提出了自己的看法.     

Fiscal policy and financial market movements

This paper estimates fiscal policy reaction function in order to investigate the links between financial market movements and fiscal policy outcomes. An increase in asset prices affects in a positive and significant manner primary balances, with the response reflecting both an increase in government revenues and a fall in government spending. The most important impact on fiscal balances is due to changes in residential property prices. Changes in equity and commercial property prices are also important determinants of fiscal balances. Our findings suggest that the steepening of the slope of the yield curve contributes to expenditure based fiscal discipline.