M&A announcements can result in substantial positive or negative abnormal acquiring-firm stock returns and sizeable associated dollar value gains or losses. Unfortunately for decision makers tasked with evaluating potential deals, the existing M&A literature focuses on the in-sample analysis of...

We show that run-ups in U.S. target firm stock returns preceding merger announcements have declined drastically over recent decades. The negative trend in target run-ups cannot be fully explained by changes in deal or target characteristics associated with merger anticipation. However, it...

We examine bidding firms' motives for disclosing a synergy forecast when announcing a merger or acquisition. Our sample consists of 1,990 M&A deals, of which 345 announce synergy estimates. Our results suggest that synergy disclosures serve to obtain a more favorable market reception for deals...