The cross section of returns can largely be summarized by the market factor and mimicking portfolios based on investment-to-assets and earnings-to-assets motivated from neoclassical reasoning. The neoclassical three-factor model can capture average return variations related to momentum and...

We use a fully-specified neoclassical model augmented with costly external equity as a laboratory to study the relations between stock returns and equity financing decisions. Simulations show that the model can simultaneously and in many cases quantitatively reproduce: procyclical equity issuance;...