Economic theory suggests that the industry-wide component of firm performance is more persistent than the firm-specific component. This paper provides evidence on this assertion and tests whether investors misprice these components of earnings. Consistent with predictions, we find greater...

Using a sample of earnings restatements, we provide evidence that an empirical measure of the comparability in two firms' earnings (“earnings comparability”) captures the extent to which a firm's accounting choices and estimates are similar to those of its restating peer firm. We then...

Management frequently attributes earnings news to various economic events. Using textual analysis, we identify the economic factors underlying earnings news from press releases. We document a wide range of industry-wide shocks and firm-specific actions to which the earnings news in management...