Empirical evidence of the existence of speculative bubbles in the prices of stocks traded on the São Paulo Stock Exchange

Speculative price bubbles are defined as a significant deviation between an asset's intrinsic value and its market value and in this paper it refers to stock values. Literature about the theme has noted the existence of bubbles in various types of markets and their respective assets. A great deal of effort has been directed toward identifying bubbles in stock price indices. However, few research endeavors focus on assets as the unit of analysis. Studies about stocks in Brazil have identified the presence of bubbles in IBOVESPA (São Paulo Stock Exchange Index). Given this context and assuming that the speculative bubbles are present in the Brazilian stock market, this research is focused on the following question: Is there evidence of the existence of speculative bubbles in stock prices traded on the São Paulo Stock Exchange? Econometric tests were performed on twenty-seven stocks, based upon their positions each semester, for the period between the first semesters of 1990 until the first semester of 2010. The nominal values of the selected stocks were adjusted for inflation by the IPCA (Brazilian Consumer Price Index). In order to identify the presence of bubbles, we applied the Johansen non-cointegration test and/or the Granger non-causality test between the intrinsic value, dividends and interest on equity capital, and the market value (semester closing price) of the stocks. The primary findings reveal a presence of bubbles in twenty of the twenty-seven stocks, at a 5% significance level. Of the seven stocks not showing evidence of bubbles, six are financial institutions. In five stocks the tests reveal Granger causality stemming from the market value toward the intrinsic value. The study findings are consistent and contribute with previous research in the literature and, are useful for investors, financial institutions, academics, government agents, and traders.     

Phronesis in administration and organizations: A literature review and future research agenda

Phronesis is essential for good decision-making and actions. This literature review shows how phronesis has been discussed and related to elements of the field of administration and organizations. A search in the database systems Scopus, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scielo, based on eligibility criteria, resulted in 43 theoretical and 14 empirical works. The analysis of these studies showed the most significant empirical contributions, the most cited authors, methods, journals, and central themes addressed in studies on phronesis to understand ethics in business. From a virtue ethics perspective, we discuss the major theoretical and empirical contributions, as well as the implications of a restricted understanding of phronesis when it is treated apart from other elements of the virtue ethics framework. We present a synthesis of the concepts of phronesis, based on dimensions of magnitude and amplitude of the conceptions, ranging from formal to substantive phronesis, and covering individual, organizational, or societal levels of analysis. We argue that a substantive conception of phronesis within virtue ethics may improve our understanding of ethics because it assumes the interdependence of phronesis and moral virtues, integral anthropology, and the common good. We present a future research agenda, considering the study's limitations and findings.     

Performance of Personal Pension Funds in Portugal

This paper analyses the performance of personal pension funds in Portugal, during the period from 1999 to 2016, providing the first detailed analysis of this matter. Three performance measures are used: the Sharpe ratio, the difference between the returns of the fund and its benchmark, and the M² measure. The findings show that the performance of these funds is very low and that their returns are not significantly different from zero, which might be the result of government-imposed limits concerning asset allocation. Additionally, evidence was found confirming that these funds, on average, underperform their benchmarks. Tax gains seem to be the main reason why people decide to invest a portion of their wealth in these funds, rather than in other investment forms where there are no penalties in the case of early withdrawals.

     

Serving SMEs Via the Stock Exchange: Historical Lessons from the Lisbon Stock Exchange

The development of large companies in the western world — many being huge multinational corporations — and the sheer size of their financial needs has given an added importance to tradability, a fact that can clearly be gauged by the recently discovered “high frequency trading” (HFT) operations which are only possible with large issues. Also contributing to the importance of tradability is the recent demutualization of most exchanges during the 1990s, which turned them into for-profit organizations. In fact, large issues of shares or bonds allow economies of scale, and generate experience in listing practices and trading operations, thereby enhancing the profitability of those commercially oriented stock exchanges. Thus, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are now much less attractive to these organizations, as compared to large enterprises (LEs), due to their inherent lack of liquidity and to the economies of scale. We discuss the barriers before SMEs, which require special accommodations to be able to raise stable funds for their development.     

Do Harmonised Accounting Standards Lead to Harmonised Accounting Practices? An Empirical Study of IAS 39 Measurement Requirements in Some European Union Countries

The objective of this paper is to investigate the level of harmonisation for IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and to identify if different levels of harmonisation are associated with company-specific factors. Based on Rahman et al. (2002) , we used the Jaccard (JACC) index to determine the level of harmonisation between IAS 39 and the financial reporting practice of a broad-based sample of European-listed companies in 2005. We applied regression analysis to identify companies' specific characteristics that affect the level of convergence of the reporting practice of financial instruments. The results of this study show a high level of harmonisation between accounting practices of European companies included in our sample and IAS 39.     

Extending the Classification of European Countries by their IFRS Practices: A Research Note

Abstract

This paper expands the IFRS accounting systems’ classification proposed by Nobes [(2011). IFRS practices and the persistence of accounting system classification. Abacus, 47(3), 267–283] to a broader set of European countries. The results suggest a classification distinguishing between four groups of European countries, and add to the evidence, reported by Kvaal and Nobes [(2010). International differences in IFRS policy choice. Accounting and Business Research, 40(2), 173–187] and Nobes (2011)., that pre-IFRS accounting differences influence the options adopted by firms. This study contributes to the literature suggesting that the widespread adoption of IFRS has not eliminated the differences between national accounting practices and that accounting systems classification did not lose its relevance.     

GDP steady-state multipliers under monopolistic competition revisited

New Keynesian general-equilibrium static models showed the fiscal multiplier is an increasing function of the degree of monopoly. Here, I develop a simple intertemporal model allowing us to study the steady-state role of optimal capital stock (and depreciation) in the fiscal policy transmission mechanism. The GDP multiplier may be locally decreasing in the degree of monopoly when the number of firms is fixed, but results depend strongly on the set of parameter values chosen. Using a net-output definition or allowing for free entry leads to unambiguous dominance of the long-run monopolistic multiplier over the Walrasian one.