Can Commercialization Improve the Performance of Stock Exchanges Even without Corporatization?

We examine the performance of mutual, demutualized, and publicly listed exchanges and find evidence of improved performance along the exchange governance continuum, with publicly traded exchanges exhibiting better operating performance than demutualized exchanges. However, our robustness test, focusing on the corporatized exchanges that have gone through the three phases of the governance structure, shows that the listed exchanges do not exhibit evidence of incremental gains in efficiency and profitability beyond what they achieved at the demutualization phase. We conclude that commercialization provides sufficient freedom for exchanges to exploit monopoly rents before going public, while corporatization brings about proper valuation of the exchanges’ franchise.     

It Takes Two: The Incidence and Effectiveness of Co‐CEOs

This study examines the phenomenon of co‐CEOs within publicly traded firms. Although shared executive leadership is not widespread, it occurs within some very prominent firms. We find that co‐CEOs generally complement each other in terms of educational background or executive responsibilities. Our results show that firms most likely to appoint co‐CEOs have lower leverage, a more limited firm focus, less independent board structure, fewer advising directors, lower institutional ownership, and greater levels of merger activity. The governance structure of co‐CEO firms suggests that co‐CEOships can serve as an alternative governance mechanism, with co‐CEO mutual monitoring substituting for board or external monitoring and co‐CEO complementary skills substituting for board advising. An event study indicates that the market reacts positively to appointments of co‐CEOs while a propensity score analysis shows that the presence of co‐CEOs increases firm valuation.     

Corporate payout policy in Australia and a test of the life‐cycle theory

We provide evidence on the frequency and size of payouts by Australian firms, and test whether the life‐cycle theory explains Australian corporate payout policies. Regular dividends remain the most popular mechanism for distributing cash to shareholders, despite a slight decline in the proportion of dividend payers since the relaxation of buyback regulations in 1998. Off‐market share buybacks return the largest amount of cash to shareholders. Dividend paying firms are larger, more profitable and have less growth options that nondividend paying firms. Consistent with the life‐cycle theory, we observe a highly significant relation between the decision to pay regular dividends and the proportion of shareholders’ equity that is earned rather than contributed.     

Pricing of off‐balance sheet debt: how do bond market participants use the footnote disclosures on operating leases and postretirement benefit plans?

In this study, we examine whether the public debt market prices information on off‐balance sheet debt arising from operating leases and postretirement plans. We find that bond‐rating agencies price off‐balance sheet debt arising from operating leases and the coefficient on off‐balance sheet debt measure of operating leases is similar to that of capital leases on the balance sheet. Regarding postretirement benefit plans, we find that bond‐rating agencies do price postretirement benefit obligations that are reported in balance sheet but do not price such obligations disclosed in footnotes. We find similar results when we examine corporate bond yields on new debt issues.     

THE SUBSTANCE OF ACCOUNTING FOR PUBLIC‐PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

This article evaluates Public‐Private Partnerships (PPP) accounting practice and the related financial accounting and reporting requirements. Governments across the world are seeking to access private finance to improve public infrastructure. Accounting for PPPs has encountered many difficulties, one of which is the practice by which PPPs are not accounted for as fixed assets on the balance sheet of either the public sector client or the private sector operator. Accounting for PPPs has grown in importance at a time of transition from national Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Under UK GAAP, both client and operator accounting adopt the reasoning – familiar from leasing standards – of the allocation of risks and rewards between the parties to determine the party which should recognize the fixed asset on its balance sheet. The gap in IFRS with regard to operator accounting has been filled by the interpretation IFRIC 12 on service concession agreements: this moves the reasoning from risks and rewards to control, familiar from consolidation standards. The UK Treasury and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) have required/proposed the adoption of the mirror‐image treatment of IFRIC 12. In most, but not all, cases, control will be assessed to rest with the client, which will recognize property, plant and equipment, and not with the operator, which will recognize either a financial asset or an intangible asset on the basis of an assessment of which party bears the majority of risks and rewards. Under both UK GAAP and IFRS, accounting policy choices are strongly influenced by, for the client, governmental control frameworks, and for the operator, by the implications for the profile of distributable profits and for taxation. An important public policy issue is that the national accounts, which for European Union member states must comply with European System of Accounts 1995, will remain on a risks and rewards basis. It is these numbers that will be used in assessments of macro‐fiscal policy and fiscal risks, notwithstanding that the Eurostat version of risks and rewards is even more open to manipulation than were the national financial reporting standards.     

NOT REPORTING A PROFIT: CONSTRUCTING A NON‐PROFIT ORGANISATION

Public sector reformers advocate contracting‐out as a means of improving cost‐effectiveness. In the health sector, market‐based contracts with for‐profit organisations can reduce equity of access and divert public funds to private gain. Such issues have prompted policy makers to seek alternative contracting strategies. This paper examines a primary health care policy whereby government contracts with private non‐profit organisations to increase efficiency and meet World Health Organisation ideals. The study found that the policy's implementation has not achieved these aims when for‐profit providers masquerade as non‐profit organisations. The implication is that governments may find it more effective to manage for structural diversity than mandate homogenisation.     

股价波动、通货膨胀与固定资产投资——基于协整和VEC模型的经验证据

经验证据表明,我国股票市场时全社会固定资产投资的影响作用还比较小,股票市场对固定资产投资的冲击在部分时段是负效应,可能存在部分"挤出效应".而影响固定资产投资的主要因素是GDP的变动.另外在我国,通货膨胀率对固定资产投资的影响比较明显.从短期来看,固定资产投资也带动了通货膨胀.国内固定资产投资的波动不仅受偏离均衡的影响,还受到GDP、Cpi、上证综合指数与存款利率水平自身变动的影响.央行应加强审慎的宏观调控,优化信贷结构,加强农村水利建设的长期投资,为经济结构调整和经济增长方式的转变提供稳定的货币金融环境.     

权证隐含波动率在标的证券波动率预测中的作用研究

资产收益的波动是投资者投资决策的主要依据.本文选取了葛州和长虹等七只权证作为样本.首先应用单位根检验,验证各样本历史波动率和隐含波动率序列的平稳性,在此基础上检验各样本两种波动率序列的协整关系.最后,对隐含波动率所包含的额外信息进行探讨.结果表明,已实现波动率和隐含波动率基本上呈现单位根状态,并且两者之问基本不存在协整关系,权证的隐含波动率确实拥有额外的信息.投资者在实际运作中,可以加入隐含波动率来提高对实际波动率预测的准确性.     

CAPM对我国封闭式基金定价的实证检验

本文以上证封闭式基金为样本,选取2007年12至2010年11月的月度数据,采用单指数模型、BJS两步法和横截面检验实证分析了我国基金市场对CAPM的适用性。CAPM并不适用于我国基金市场,原因在于基金市场的不成熟以及投资主体投资理念的非理性。同时CAPM条件过于苛刻,在对资本市场进行检验时应谨慎对待。     

城市住宅价格与宏观经济变量的关系分析——基于VAR模型的实证研究

通过分析选取住宅价格指数(HPI)、国内生产总值增长率(GDP)、1-3年期银行贷款利率(IR)作为内生变量,滞后两期的广义货币供应量(M2)作为外生变量,建立了向量自回归模型。并在此基础上,运用协整分析、脉冲响应函数、方差分解和格兰杰因果检验等研究方法对住宅价格指数与宏观经济变量之间的动态相关关系进行了研究。研究结果表明,我国的住宅价格与所选用的宏观经济变量之间存在一定交互响应作用,并就此提出了相关建议。