We study how media coverage impacts pricing of IPOs around the world. Higher media coverage in the pre-IPO period leads to lower IPO initial returns. The effect is mitigated in countries with better financial reporting quality, greater shareholder rights protection, and more stringent media...

This paper investigates the birth of commodity trading advisors (CTAs) and their flow–performance relation. Specifically, we address three questions. First, we investigate the impact of existing CTAs' performance on the number of new CTAs entering the market. Second, we investigate the...

We examine the role and economic consequences of emotions in influencing the judgment of corporate executives. Analyzing a large sample of U.S. public firms, we find that sunshine-induced good mood leads managers to make upwardly biased earnings forecasts. Importantly, our evidence implies that...

We investigate the prevalence of informed options trading prior to takeover announcements, when the legal prohibition against insider trading is strictest. Although insider trading laws apply equally to the options and stock markets, the options market is considerably more transparent than the...

This study examines the profitability of trading on earnings surprises in the post-earnings announcement period for Canadian equities spanning the period 1994-2009. There is clear evidence that stock prices drift in the direction of earnings surprise for several months following an earnings...

We examine how societal secrecy affects the underpricing of initial public offerings (IPOs). Using a large sample of 18,304 IPOs across 38 countries, we find robust evidence that IPO underpricing is positively related to societal secrecy. Additional analyses reveal that investor protection,...

We find a negative relation between democracy and initial public offering (IPO) underpricing for a sample of 23,050 IPOs across 45 countries. The effect of democracy on underpricing is weaker for IPOs audited by Big 4 auditing firms, backed by venture capital firms, and with better disclosure...

In this paper, we examine how cultural norms along the dimensions of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty-avoidance affect corporate innovation. Using a comprehensive sample across 41 countries, we find that firms located in countries with higher levels of individualism generate more and...

This paper investigates how religion-induced attitudes toward change and diversity affect corporate acquisition decisions. By studying the variation in religious adherence across U.S. counties, we find that acquirer announcement returns and total synergy are larger in counties in which...

In this performance persistence study, two questions are addressed. First, what is the relationship between past fund returns and future performance? Second, does a 'hot hand' fund selection system deliver economically significant returns to investors? Using a sample of Australian equity...