Influence of dividend tax policy tied to investment horizon on stock price stability: Evidence from the 2015 dividend tax reform in China

We examine how the dividend tax cut policy tied to the investment horizon enforced on September 8, 2015, influences stock price stability in China's A-share market. As the new dividend tax policy waives the tax on cash dividends for investors holding a stock for more than a year, it encourages long-term investment behavior. From 2013 to 2017, we find that stock turnover, return volatility, and turnover volatility decrease after the policy enforcement, especially for stocks with high dividend yields. This result shows that dividend tax reforms increase investors' stock investment horizons and help stabilize the market. However, our findings demonstrate that stock crash risk increases after policy enforcement. Further analysis shows that earnings management through real activities manipulation for stocks with a higher dividend yield contributes to an increase in stock crash risk. Therefore, one externality of the dividend tax cut policy tied to the investment horizon is that top managers of firms with a higher dividend yield may take advantage of investors' passive longer-term investment behavior and engage in more earnings management. This result suggests that regulatory agencies should pay attention to top managers' earnings management behavior after enacting policies that encourage long-term investment.     

Corporate Philanthropy and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China

How to mitigate stock price crash risk has become a focus in the theoretical and practical fields. Building on the work of Kim et al. (J Bank Finance, 43:1–13, 2014b), this paper investigates the relation between corporate philanthropy and crash risk under the unique Chinese institutional background. The results show that both state ownership and the 2005 split share reform attenuate the mitigating effect of corporate philanthropy on crash risk. Specifically, the negative relation between corporate philanthropy and crash risk is less pronounced for state-owned enterprises than for non-state-owned enterprises, and it is also less pronounced after firms accomplish the split share reform. Further, this effect is more pronounced for firms with greater financial risks and poorer performance. Our paper contributes to the growing literature on the determinants of stock price crash risk and the economic consequences of corporate philanthropy. It also offers useful guidance to firms that are seeking to reduce stock price crash risk in emerging markets.     

Diversification and financialization of non-financial corporations: Evidence from China

This paper examines whether and how business diversification affects financialization in non-financial corporations. Using data from the Chinese market, we find that business diversification strategy will significantly increase non-financial corporations' investment in financial assets. Furthermore, exacerbated agency problems, increased investment inefficiency and high operational risk are found to be the consequences of business diversification, which induce companies to hold high-risk financial assets. The impact of business diversification on financial investment is stronger in small-cap firms, SOEs, and firms with weak monitoring mechanisms. Finally, the diversification effect on corporate financialization is more significant where regional economic development and regulatory environment is weak.     

Institutional investors,selling pressure and crash risk: Evidence from China

Inconsistent with prior literature on the US stock market, our evidence shows the negative role of institutional investors who exacerbate subsequent crash risk in China. This is because institutional ownership amplifies the selling pressure in response to firm’s bad news, which in turn leads to higher stock price crash risk. The positive relation between institutional ownership and crash risk is more (less) pronounced for transient (dedicated) institutional investors, suggesting the selling pressure of short-term investors is heavier. Additionally, competition of institutional investors strengthens institutional selling pressure and hence exacerbates the effect of institutional ownership on crash risk.     

The use of Fx derivatives and the cost of capital: Evidence of Brazilian companies

Large corporations have been using derivative instruments as a tool to protect their indirect exposure, as FX risks. A sample with 47 non-financial Bovespa Listed Brazilian companies from 2004 and 2010 was used to test the hypothesis that use of derivatives as a risk management policy tool reduces companies' cost of capital. In contrast to other countries, results rejected this hypothesis, showing that in Brazil there is a positive relationship between using these tools and cost of capital. However, a more in-depth analysis based on the TACC model for a Brazilian company, this hypothesis was not rejected after the 2008 crisis.     

Retail attention,retail trades,and stock price crash risk

This paper investigates the impact of retail attention on stock price crash risk in the Chinese stock market. Developing a composite measure of retail attention emphasizing its dynamic changes, we find that retail attention exacerbates future crash risk, which is robust to numerous checks that accommodate possibly omitted variables, apply the fixed effects model and instrumental variable approach, and adopt a legal interpretation as an exogenous policy shock. Extended analyses show that the impact of retail attention is more pronounced for firms with high information uncertainty under optimistic aggregate states. Moreover, using a sample of attention-grabbing stocks, we find that retail trades offer a crucial linkage from retail attention to crash risk. Overall, our findings are helpful to understand the nature of retail attention and its consequences on trading behavior as well as stock returns.     

Is corporate governance important for regulated firms’ shareholders?: Evidence from Japanese mergers and acquisitions

This paper compares the reaction of bidders’ stock prices to acquisition announcements by regulated non-financial firms, banks, and unregulated companies in Japan. Results suggest that regulated non-financial firms do not experience a significant stock price response at merger and acquisition (M&A) announcements, although banks’ and unregulated firms’ M&A announcements are regarded favorably by the stock market. Furthermore, the effect of stock option usage and strict boards on the stock price response is weak for regulated non-financial bidders. The results provide additional evidence that regulation results in managerial decisions’ having less influence on shareholder wealth and thereby changes the firm's optimal governance structure. In contrast, the results provide no clear evidence that, for bank bidders, there is a significantly stronger or weaker relationship between governance and the stock price response to an M&A announcement than that of unregulated firms or regulated non-financial firms. The result does not support the view that regulatory monitoring weakens the effect of ordinary governance mechanisms.     

Replacing executive stock options with share units: A Canadian study

Are share units a better compensation tool than stock options? This paper studies the impact of a transition within the compensation structures of CEOs of companies listed on the TSX Composite Index. Specifically, we ask whether replacing options with units-based compensation reduces the volatility of these companies' stock prices while promoting better returns. Our findings show that a shift to share units reduces large-cap Canadian companies' total risk through its idiosyncratic component. This transition is also accompanied by an increase in their risk-adjusted accounting and market performance. This suggests that share units are better for compensation contracts.     

Product bundling strategies in Swedish markets: links to business orientation and perceived effects on consumer influence

Product bundling is an increasingly important marketing strategy within many industries, and consumer influence on companies' ranges of product bundles is, thus, becoming an important issue. The aim of this study was to investigate product bundling strategies consumers are exposed to by some selected companies in the Swedish automobile, travel and banking industries. Bundling strategies were considered in relation to business orientation as well as the consumer's potential to influence the product bundles offered by these companies. Fourteen qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with senior representatives from the three sectors. Interview respondents were selected in cooperation with their respective companies. Results underwent interpretative analysis, and the findings indicated that business orientation is linked to product bundling techniques and to the type of customer influence on product bundling. Consumers were exposed to mixed and complementary bundling strategies, and customers of companies that apply a market orientation were found to have greater opportunities to influence product bundles directly, whereas companies that apply a production‐oriented approach were less able to respond to their customers' wishes. Consumer influence on the product bundles of production‐oriented companies was found to be of a more indirect nature.     

环境管理体系认证能够抑制股价崩盘风险吗？

近年来，随着环境政策日趋严格，环境负面消息累积导致的股价崩盘风险不断提高。文章基于2007-2019年中国沪深两市A股重污染企业的经验数据，探讨了环境管理体系认证对股价崩盘风险的影响。研究发现，环境管理体系认证能够显著抑制股价崩盘风险，且当媒体关注越高、分析师关注越高时，环境管理体系认证对股价崩盘风险的抑制作用更强。进一步探讨影响机制发现，环境管理体系认证主要通过治理机制和信息机制来影响股价崩盘风险，换言之，环境管理体系认证能够通过提高公司环境绩效和公司信息透明度来抑制股价崩盘风险。研究结论揭示了环境管理体系认证具有资本市场有效性，丰富了股价崩盘风险的影响因素研究，对于政府完善环境管理体系认证制度以提高资本市场稳定性、企业优化战略决策以提升企业价值具有重要的借鉴意义。     

产业政策扶持对企业金融资产配置——基于“五年规划”变更的自然实验

以产业政策“五年规划”的变更构建双重差分与中介效应检验，分析了政策扶持对企业“主观投资意愿”和“客观投资机会”的双重影响，以及在两种影响的共振作用下，如何进一步影响企业金融资产配置决策的微观逻辑。研究发现：产业政策扶持对企业金融资产配置具有显著促进作用。一方面，产业政策扶持不仅会通过融资约束缓解效应提升企业投资意愿，还会通过庇护效应提高企业风险容忍度、强化风险承担，从而进一步提升“主观投资意愿”。另一方面，政策扶持引发投资潮涌会恶化市场竞争、政策前瞻性及其社会价值性，又对企业短期经济价值产生抑制，从而导致企业“客观投资机会”下滑。最终，企业在客观投资不确定性加剧而主观投资意愿上升的共振作用下选择转向具有替代性的金融资产投资。异质性方面，主业投资机会、主业经营收益率和主业经营风险越高的企业增加金融资产投资的意愿更弱，说明企业进行金融资产配置更像是锦上添花，而非根本上的“脱实向虚”。     

政府补贴与股价崩盘风险

本文以中国A股市场2007－2014年上市公司的数据为样本,基于企业寻租理论,实证检验了政府补贴对股价崩盘风险的影响,旨在为财政政策经济后果的研究提供新的经验证据。研究发现,政府补贴与上市公司股价崩盘风险之间呈显著正相关关系;在制度环境水平较低的地区,政府补贴与上市公司股价崩盘风险之间正相关关系更强;在产业政策支持的行业,政府补贴与上市公司股价崩盘风险之间正相关关系更强;进一步分析表明,企业寻租是两者正向关系的主要原因。本文的研究结果表明,管理层可以借助政府补贴粉饰公司业绩和隐藏公司负面消息。     

Institutional conditions,economic policy uncertainty and foreign institutional investment in China

This paper investigates the influence of host and home country institutional conditions on foreign institutional investment. Utilizing longitudinal and multilevel data on foreign institutional investment in Chinese listed firms between 2004 and 2017, we document that foreign institutional investment decreases with increasing economic policy uncertainty in the host nation. We also find that foreign institutional investors respond more strongly to local economic policy uncertainty when their home nations are closer to China, are culturally and administratively similar to China, operate a smaller domestic stock market, and have weaker minority shareholder protection. The impact of economic policy uncertainty on foreign institutional investment is also stronger when the host nation institution is more developed and open.. Moreover, we reveal the mediating role of stock market volatility on this relationship. Overall, we document that foreign institutional investment is not only shaped by institutional conditions in the host country but also influenced by home country characteristics that define geographical and institutional distance between home and host nations.     

中国式融资融券与企业金融化——基于分批扩容的准自然实验

本文聚焦于中国经济“脱实向虚”背景下非金融企业金融化问题,将分批次放开融资融券限制作为准自然实验,构造双重差分模型,探究融资融券机制对企业金融化行为的影响。研究发现,融资融券机制的实施总体上会显著地促进企业金融化。这种促进作用主要源于实际交易中占主导地位的融资机制。虽然融券机制对企业金融化有一定的抑制作用,但在融资交易与融券交易高度不对称的情形下,活跃的融资交易加剧了企业配置金融资产的短期投机套利行为。金融资产与经营资产的收益率差距和股价下跌风险是企业调整投资策略的两个关键因素。进一步研究发现,融资融券对企业金融化的影响只存在于管理层持股和机构持股比例较高、产品市场竞争较弱和处于牛市行情等情形中。本文有助于理解中国式融资融券的经济后果,也从制度环境层面为厘清非金融企业“脱实向虚”的内在机制提供了一个新视角。     

经济政策不确定性会影响股票流动性吗？——基于中国上市公司的经验证据

以2007-2017年中国A股上市公司为研究对象，考察经济政策不确定性对股票流动性的影响。实证结果表明，经济政策不确定性的提高会导致股票流动性下降，分析师跟踪会对经济政策不确定性和股票流动性产生影响，能有效抑制经济政策不确定性所带来的股票流动性的下降。进一步研究发现，相较于机构投资者持股比例高的企业，机构投资者持股比例低的企业分析师跟踪对经济政策不确定性与股票流动性的正向调节作用更显著。研究一方面丰富了经济政策不确定性和股票流动性的研究文献；另一方面为如何提高股票流动性也提供了一定的理论依据和经验证据。     

Three Estonian Companies' Management of the Russian Boycott During the Summer of 2007

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes three Estonian companies' management of the Russian boycott during the summer of 2007. The explorative nature of the study made a case study methodology a suitable research approach. The respondents' statements about the boycott revealed a “business as usual” attitude. This attitude isaccounted for as a sign of preparation for crises that facilitated the respondent companies' management of the boycott. Also, the sanctions appeared to strengthen the relations between the respondent companies and their Russian partners. The boycott was, therefore, not perceived as a major threat to the respondent companies' businesses in Russia.     

“营改增”对我国物流上市公司投资活动的影响

“营改增”是我国财税体制改革的一部分,是国家实施结构性减税的一项重要举措。作为首批试点行业企业,物流企业在实施“营改增”后税收负担及投资活动等的变化,是政府部门和学术界都很关心的问题。选择我国沪深两市物流上市公司2009—2018年的相关数据为研究样本,从国泰安数据库中获得最新数据,采用多元线性回归模型评估“营改增”对上市物流公司固定资产及无形资产投资活动的政策效应,研究结果显示,“营改增”能显著增加仓储邮政业上市公司的固定资产及无形资产投资,显著降低水上运输业上市公司的固定资产投资,对其他物流行业上市公司的固定资产及无形资产投资均没有显著性影响。鉴于不同盈利和不同税率情况下的物流细分行业受“营改增”政策影响的结果差异较大,建议政府部门进一步简化并降低物流企业税率,完善鼓励投资的相关配套政策;相应行业的企业管理层也应顺应政策导向,根据市场需求和自身资产情况,统筹安排投资时机和力度,将税收节约的资金进行有效投资。     

Guanxi and Salesforce Management Practices in China

Executives in 111 foreign enterprises selling within the People's Republic of China completed questionnaires examining the extents to which guanxi was recognized as a critical factor in salesforce marketing, and the influences of such recognition on their companies' local salesforce remuneration policies. The results suggest that businesses which did regard guanxi as important for Chinese salesforce marketing were more likely to employ behaviour-based than outcome-based reward systems. This finding is compatible with the proposition that the banking and recall of personal favours, network integration, willingness to rely on partners and other guanxi-related characteristics can lead to sales performances for which outcome-based remuneration systems may not be appropriate. Notwithstanding the influence of guanxi on the manners in which salespeople were paid, volatility in the business environments within which firms operated encouraged their managements to adopt more market-led approaches to remuneration. Differences in the perceptions of the role of guanxi held by managers in foreign firms based in Chinese commonwealth and in other countries were also investigated. It emerged that companies based in the Chinese commonwealth acknowledged the importance of guanxi to a greater extent than companies with headquarters in Western nations. The longer a company had operated in China the more likely it was to incorporate guanxi considerations into its local management systems.     

宏观杠杆率、影子银行规模与银行体系稳定性——基于TVP-VAR模型的实证研究

"去杠杆"、"强监管"和"防风险"是新时期经济社会发展中的关键任务。本文选取2010-2018年季度数据构建微观审慎监管视角下的银行体系稳定性指数,分析检验我国宏观杠杆率、影子银行规模对银行体系稳定性的时变影响机制。研究显示:我国银行体系稳定性总体呈震荡向下趋势,由稳定阶段逐渐转向当前高度不稳定阶段。进一步地,采用时变参数向量自回归模型(TVP-VAR)实证研究发现:我国宏观杠杆率与影子银行规模对银行体系稳定性的冲击响应具有时变特征和时滞效应。宏观杠杆率与影子银行规模之间存在相互促进的非线性动态关系,二者叠加会对银行体系产生不利冲击。中长期内,宏观杠杆率过快攀升会加重银行体系不稳定,杠杆率适度波动一定程度上有利于银行体系稳定;短中期内,影子银行的适当扩张给稳定银行体系产生积极影响,但过度膨胀会形成长期持久的负向冲击。鉴于此,现阶段我国应加强经济去杠杆、影子银行监管及银行风险防范多重政策目标之间的有效协同,以维护金融体系稳定。     

Understanding Brazilian companies' foreign exchange exposure

The paper analyzes the exchange rate exposure of a sample of non-financial Brazilian companies from 1999 to 2009. The results confirm the importance of using nonlinear models to address companies' exchange rate exposure. The results indicate that when compared to the linear model commonly used in literature, the nonlinear model leads to an increase in the number of firms exposed to exchange rate fluctuations, which allows a more accurate analysis of the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the value of firms. In addition, the paper shows that exporters and companies that hold foreign currency denominated debt are more likely to be exposed to exchange rate fluctuations and that the nonlinearity of companies' foreign exchange exposure is associated with the use of foreign currency derivatives.