The Valuation Effects of Warrant Extensions

In this paper, we examine the warrant price and stock price reactions to the announcement of warrant life extensions. As predicted by option-pricing theory, warrant prices increase in response to an extension. Our principal finding is that the stocks of firms making the extension announcements experience positive abnormal returns on average. We interpret the evidence as supportive of an anticipation hypothesis in which the market perceives the decision to extend the warrants' expiration date as a favorable indication for the stock price before the subsequent expiration.     

The Effect of Option Listing on Bid-Ask Spreads,Price Volatility,and Trading Activity of the Underlying OTC Stocks

This paper examines the changes in spreads, price volatility, and trading activity surrounding option listing for a sample of 144 OTC stocks. For this sample, both price volatility and volume increase, but the evidence on spreads is mixed. The increase in price volatility is attributed primarily to an increase in residual return variances. Furthermore, price volatility increases even after controlling for volume, insider trading, and spreads. Although these variables do not fully explain the causes for the increase in price volatility after option listing, the results suggest that liquidity trading or volume has a stronger effect on price volatility than insider trading. This study also finds that both the number of trades and institutional holdings show substantial increases, which are supportive of the notion that listing of options on OTC stocks attracts more attention.