This paper examines the impact of a defined benefit (DB) pension plan freeze on the sponsoring firm's risk and risk-taking activities. Using a sample of firms declaring a hard freeze on their DB plans between 2002 and 2007, we observe an increase in total risk (proxied by the standard deviation...

The monthly volatility of IPO initial returns is substantial, fluctuates dramatically over time, and is considerably larger during quot;hotquot; IPO markets. Consistent with IPO theory, the volatility of initial returns is higher among firms whose value is more difficult to estimate, i.e., among...

The monthly volatility of IPO initial returns is substantial, fluctuates dramatically over time, and is considerably larger during quot;hotquot; IPO markets. Consistent with IPO theory, the volatility of initial returns is higher among firms whose value is more difficult to estimate, i.e., among...

Theory and recent evidence suggest that overvalued firms can create value for shareholders if they exploit their overvaluation by using their stock as currency to purchase less overvalued firms. We challenge this idea and show that, in practice, overvalued acquirers significantly overpay for...

We show that acquirer returns are significantly higher in stock-swap acquisitions of difficult-to-value targets, as measured by Ramp;D intensity and idiosyncratic return volatility. This finding contributes to an explanation of the determinants of, and value gains from, using stock as a method...

This paper examines the predictions of the performance based arbitrage hypothesis for the merger arbitrage market. Performance based arbitrage (Shleifer and Vishny (1997)) is the notion that funds under management are withdrawn from arbitrageurs following trading losses, resulting in inefficient...

This paper documents acquisition discounts for stand-alone private firms and subsidiaries of other firms (unlisted targets) of 15-30%, on average, relative to acquisition multiples for comparable publicly-traded targets. My results support the contention that acquisition discounts for unlisted...

Extant research examines the extent to which bankruptcy has intra-industry valuation consequences. This study broadens the investigation by examining the wealth effects of distress and bankruptcy filing for suppliers and customers of filing firms. On average, important wealth effects occur prior...