Higher first-year post-issue returns are associated with a significantly higher probability of follow-on equity issuance over the next 5 years. This result holds when we control for pre-issue returns and other factors known to affect the probability of equity issuance. The result is most...

In this paper we explore and find support for IPOs motivated by subsequent acquisition activity. Over a third of newly public firms enter the market for corporate control as acquirers within three years of the IPO. We find that the role of an IPO in facilitating subsequent acquisitions is...

Using a comprehensive sample of securities litigation, we examine the effect of financial fraud on the subsequent use of external financing. We find that firms with a recent history of securities litigation, particularly more severe litigation, are less likely to seek external debt and equity...

A series of deregulatory reforms have promoted accelerated equity issuance at the expense of adequate time for underwriter and market scrutiny. Today the majority of publicly listed companies can raise equity on a moment's notice, but many eligible issuers choose to allow additional time for...

Default probability plays a central role in the static trade-off theory of capital structure. We directly test this theory by regressing the probability of default on proxies for costs and benefits of debt. Contrary to predictions of the theory, firms with higher bankruptcy costs, i.e., smaller...