What Role Taxes and Regulation? A Second Look at Open Market Share Buyback Activity in the UK

This paper re-examines the evidence on open market share repurchase activity reported by Rau and Vermaelen (2002) for the UK. Using data from the Securities Data Corporation (SDC), Rau and Vermaelen conclude that the level of repurchase activity is trivial. They attribute the low repurchase volume to regulatory restrictions that limit companies' ability to take advantage of an undervalued stock price and conclude that the bulk of repurchase activity that does occur is driven by the desire to generate tax credits for pension funds. Using data collected from a variety of sources, we find that the SDC substantially understates UK open market buyback activity. Based on our more comprehensive dataset we conclude that (a) pension funds' tax considerations are not the primary cause of UK share repurchases and (b) despite the prevailing regulatory environment, underpricing still represents an important determinant of repurchase activity.     

Competition and Information Production in Market Maker Models

Abstract:   The microstructure literature models the mechanisms through which fundamental information is incorporated into market prices. This paper extends previous models by endogenising information production and analysing incentives for costly information production. In contrast to the existing literature, increasing the number of informed traders can result in reduced price informativeness. When prices have an allocative role this has welfare consequences: the regulatory implications of a dichotomy between private and public incentives for information gathering are discussed.     

The Structural Relation Between Mortgage and Market Interest Rates

This paper analyzes the dynamic relationship between primary and secondary mortgage markets and the short-term and long-term market interest rates. Using a series of monthly data on fixed rate mortgage rates and GNMA rates, we explore the dependence and speed of adjustment in these primary and secondary mortgage rates to each other as well as to the long and short-term government rates. The results indicate that residential mortgage rates in general, appear to follow the long-term rate and are not very sensitive to movements in the short-term interest rate.     

The Impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure on Information Asymmetry and Trading: An Intraday Analysis

This study examines the impact of Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) on liquidity, information asymmetry, and institutional and retail investors trading behavior. Our main findings suggest three conclusions. First, Regulation FD has been effective in improving liquidity and in decreasing the level of information asymmetry. Second, retail trading activity increases dramatically after earnings announcements but there is a significant decline in institutional trading surrounding earnings announcements, particularly in the pre‐announcement period. Last, the decline in information asymmetry around earnings announcements is closely associated with a lower participation rate in the pre‐announcement period and more active trading of retail investors after earnings releases.     

股改降低了上市公司代理成本吗?——来自中国A股市场的经验证据

以我国A股上市公司为研究样本,以代理成本为研究对象,对股改之于代理成本的影响进行实证分析发现：股改的完成并没有显著地影响代理成本,控股类型仍然是影响代理成本的主要因素,股权分置改革对于企业代理成本的积极影响不能一蹴而就,股改完成后我国还需要在法规、制度、市场以及公司治理结构等方面进行全方位的配套改革。     

退耕还林工程成本补助:性质、结构及有效分担

阐明退耕还林工程的成本构成、补助性质和分担情况;对工程成本资金管理和运作责任主体不明确、补助成本结构设置不尽合理、退耕农户成本总体弥补不足的问题突出、地方政府在退耕还林中实际负担过多成本以及补助期偏短、配套基础建设进展缓慢、培育替代产业难度大等退耕还林工程成本补助管理及成本分担问题进行深入剖析;提出退耕还林工程成本有效分担的原则、财政职责在政府间的合理分配、保证退耕还林工程区地方政府正常工程管理工作运转的资金需要、兼顾效率原则和改进成本补助资金方法等创新退耕还林工程成本分担机制,优化政府间财政措施的建议。     

巴塞尔流动性框架的最新修订及对我国的启示

2013年1月,巴塞尔委员会公布了流动性监管框架的阶段性成果——《第三版巴塞尔协议:流动性覆盖比率及流动性风险监测工具》,相较于2010年12月颁布的《第三版巴塞尔协议:流动性风险计量、标准和监测的国际框架》有许多重要修订。本文着重对4项重要修订进行分析,并以此为基础探讨我国践行新的流动性管理框架的应对之策。     

上市公司独立董事制度设计的合理性分析——基于二元制公司治理模式

文章通过对监事会和独立董事职能冲突以及现有各国公司治理结构的分析,推导出在二元制公司治理模式下实行独立董事制度的环境要求和独立董事职能不能充分发挥的原因,从而得出我国目前并不适宜引入独立董事制度的结论。同时,在现有立法仍然保留有独立董事制度的前提下,又提出了对独立董事和监事会制度的改革策略,以期实现两者相对协调地发挥其监管职能。     

股权分置改革：效应分析与优化对策

本文在简要分析股权分置制度缺陷的基础上,探讨了股权分置改革将使资本市场产生的效应,分析股权分置改革完成后中国证券市场在功能、规则、行为、理念和监管等领域可能发生的重大变化,为深入推进我国股权分置改革提供借鉴和建议。